Seraphim
by Heero91
Summary: Hinata was tired of her boring life working as a secretary in a Doctors practice during the holidays. That's not to say she's entirely happy about the mysterious and dangerous Sasuke entering her life. SasuHina contains copious amounts of violence
1. Chapter 1: Bored Angel

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

I'm trying a couple of new things with this fic o' mine and experimenting a little, hopefully it works out for the best :-). Anyway hopefully you enjoy it, if you do please let me know.

Chapter One;

* * *

I gave a noticeable sigh as I allowed my eyes to slowly examine the office hoping rather senselessly for something new and interesting, the same dying potted plant, the ancient magazines and the unexplainable stain on the carpet.

All in all work as usual is painfully disappointing, and it's only Wednesday.

I knew I should have worked somewhere else, a doctors assistant will look good on the résumé, give you an edge over other aspiring med students.

I felt my mobile vibrate against my leg and decided I could risk it, the office phone hadn't rang all morning except for a telemarketer trying to sell me toner. Besides I hadn't been out in far too long and seriously needed to breathe some life into my social life.

Maybe it was Tenten, up for a wild rave, or Ino, for a cocktail party.

**Vodafone is offering a 10% boost on...**

Nevermind.

I heard a rhythmic banging on one of the dirty windows, I knew it was just a branch of the nearby tree outside being caught by the raging winds. I really hope that it doesn't rain today, or at least not until after I get home, I really don't fancy getting soaked because I forgot my umbrella this morning when it was nice and sunny.

Stupid turbulent weather.

For a brief moment I toyed with the idea that it wasn't a tree branch banging against the window but a handsome, possibly blonde, pseudo-knight in shining armour planning to rescue me from another boring hour in old Doc. Mason's office.

The sound of the office bell ringing pulled me prematurely from my daydreaming and alerted me to a visitor. Weird usually all of the Doctors patients came early in the day, most of them were very old.

The man who walked through the door couldn't have been more than twenty, his face was pale but not notably so considering the recent bad weather. He was quite tall and this fact was only accentuated by his long black coat which ended just above his knees, I noticed a thin dark probably black jumper beneath his coat and his blue jeans were slightly frayed at the knees; the heavy black boots that he wore made an audible thump with each step he took.

After several long elegant strides the dark man was standing before me and for the first time I realised how intimidating the man was, as his pitch black eyes bore into my own pale ones I found myself straightening my posture and perking up attentively as if in fear of a reprisal from the man.

"Hello, how can I help you?" I asked in my practised perky assistant voice, so far despite being an assistant I had yet to do more than secretarial duties.

"I'm here to see the old man." Stated the stranger his voice deep and raspy, he kept eye contact as he spoke not breaking it for a single moment.

"Do you have an appointment?" I asked hoping he didn't so that I could stall him, I couldn't let an opportunity for amusement like this go past so easily.

The man took a quick glance around the empty room.

"Do I need one? I'm an old friend of the doctors." Explained the man as I gave an internal squeal of joy; followed by a snot of disbelief, let me guess they were old drinking buddies.

"Well you'll just have to fill out these forms sir." I told him handing him several sheets of paper and a pen.

"Fine." he answered slight irritation in his voice, never the less he accepted the papers and began to fill them out; hopefully he didn't notice they were actually forms to transfer his medical records and to sign him up to this office instead.

"Can I ask your name mister?" I questioned the man prompting him to raise his head and pin me with a cool dignified look.

"You should offer your own name first." Spoke the man by way of an answer, almost simultaneously the weather finally took the wet turn it had been threatening all afternoon.

"Hinata." I offered not letting his snarky comment put me off as it usually would, I was far too bored to be shy or meek right now.

"Sasuke." Answered the man.

"So how do you know Doctor Mason then?" I asked, briefly entertaining the thought that he would ask me to tell him how I knew the doctor first.

"It's a long story, can I see Mason now?" asked the man apparently having already finished the paper work, that was quick.

"Sure go ahead." I answered accepting the papers from him as he walked by me to Doctor Mason's room.

It wasn't until several moments later when I glanced at the paper work I noticed he hadn't filled out the forms at all, there was however a small message at the top of one of the pages, the penmanship formal and elegant.

It read;

_I think you mixed up the forms miss Hinata._

_Perhaps you should take more care in the future, especially around men in white suits with blue ties._

_Sasuke_

Men in white suits with blue ties...that's a rather strange thing to say isn't it.

It was several minutes later that Sasuke exited the Doctors office, I attempted to question him on his unusual message but he only ignored me and quickly exited the offices without so much as a goodbye or a nod to me.

Asshole.

Oh well, only twenty more gruelling minutes left maybe the rain will let up before then.

Twenty minutes passed by with no such luck, if anything the rain became more hostile. I bid Doctor Mason a quick goodbye and stepped out into the hallway.

I was surprised to find two umbrellas by the coat rack instead of just one, I recognised the first as Doctor Masons but the second I didn't recognise; one of the patients must have forgotten it.

I suppose they won't come looking for it until tomorrow...and they wouldn't mind letting me borrow it to get home.

_S. Uchiha _

I didn't know the name on the umbrella, mustn't belong to a regular.

Ah nothing like walking through the city on a rainy day safely protected by a sturdy umbrella, and although I'd never admit it I secretly enjoyed watching the people without umbrellas scurry about trying to keep dry.

Alas as if to punish my mean spirited giggles a swift but violent gust of wind managed to tear the umbrella from my hands and carry in away from me, fiddle sticks I can't lose someone else's umbrella.

I quickly gave chase pulling my denim jacket up over my head as I ran.

Focused on the umbrella as I was I didn't notice the two men until one of them stooped down and grabbed the handle by the umbrella.

"Is this yours miss?" asked the man, handing it back to me when I nodded.

"T-thank you." I spoke almost choking when I got a good look at the men, one of them was rather average looking if not a little more handsome than usual with a pony tail and the other was a gargantuan of a man nearly twice the size of the other man.

The _very_ interesting thing however was their clothing, bright white polyester suits and blue ties.

It probably shouldn't have but I felt a shiver run up my spine as I remembered Sasuke's note from earlier.

"Would you like a lift young miss, our car is nearby." Offered the smaller man politely.

"U-um no thanks I'm meeting a friend nearby." I lied, my instincts deciding that it would be best if I followed the advice and was careful around these people.

I walked away ignoring the temptation to look behind me and make sure the men weren't following me.

I just wanted to get home have a nice long shower and forget about the antisocial dark Sasuke and his creepy premonitions, maybe call Ino and get back in touch with the student life style I've been missing out on.

Even if all I tend to do at parties is sit in the corner and stutter and blush madly when a guy tries to ask me to dance, well I did take every time except that one night Ino showed me jagermeister. I can't actually remember the night but I've heard bad stories.

Yeah a nice shower and a good party is what I need to forget my boring job and creepy encounters with mysterious strangers. As attractive as those strangers may be.

* * *

"So how come we didn't just grab the girl." Asked the large man to his partner as he squeezed into the relatively large car with no small amount of difficulty.

"More trouble than it's worth really, we only wanted to ask her if she'd seen _him. _Even if she had it wouldn't be worth the trouble that grabbing a young woman on a busy street in broad daylight tends to bring with it." Spoke the other man easily sliding into the driver's seat of the car and with drawing a packet of cigarettes from his suits inner pocket.

"Open a window if you plan on smoking that thing would you. She seemed frightened didn't she?" asked the larger man an ugly sneer covering his face as the other man lit his cigarette.

"Yeah she did, curious isn't it...we'll have to be careful in our approach now, perhaps sending a false officer to question her would be wisest." Answered the smaller man taking a slow drag of his cigarette and considerately opening his window.

"I say we just grab her." Grunted the big man.

"Dually noted." Responded the smaller man starting the car.

* * *

So apparently nobody is around on a Wednesday night, Ino is visiting her parents and Tenten has a demo early tomorrow morning, as a result instead of going out for a night to decompress from all my stress I'm cuddled up on my lumpy old battered couch watching some crappy old TV movie and having some ice cream therapy.

Oh well a night in can be fun too.

Knock. Knock.

The sudden knocking at my door shocked me out of my dazed almost asleep state, I wonder who could be calling so late it's almost...half ten? God I've become such a wimp lately.

Taking a quick look through my peep hole I saw a police officer who reminded me oddly of a scruffy dog with his sharp looking teeth and shaggy brown hair. I decided it was safe to answer the door to an officer and unbolted the front door.

"H-hello officer what brings you here?" I asked noting that my stutter had returned since earlier today...and I'd worked so hard to get rid of it.

"Hello miss." greeted the man almost growled flashing me a toothy grin.

"Would you mind if I asked you a couple of questions?" asked the man scratching the back of his head in an awkward but charming gesture.

"Go ahead." I answered with a small nod and miniscule smile of my own in turn.

"Have you recently come into contact with this man?" inquired the officer handing me a photograph. Turning it over I was quietly shocked to find it to be a picture of Sasuke the mysterious psychic from earlier today.

"Yes, he came into the Doctor's office I work in earlier today. Doctor Mason's practice." I replied more curious than shocked now, what possibly had the law on the lookout for Sasuke, I was also worried about Dr Mason and his connection to the case.

"Interesting...did you talk to him much?" asked the officer likely hoping the man, Sasuke, was about the stupidest criminal ever and had informed me of his actual plan for evading the law.

"I only managed to catch his name, he didn't stay for long at all." I answered somehow failing to mention the little warning note I'd received from the wanted man.

"Well, thank you for your time ma'am, you can reach me at this number if you run into the man, Sasuke, again or if you remember anything you've forgotten about your earlier encounter." Spoke the man his kind demeanour suddenly vanishing for a brief moment as me spoke Sasuke's name before his gentle relaxed smile reappeared again.

It all happened so quickly that I wondered if I hadn't simple imagined it, but the chill in my spine was very real and I felt unease seep from that initial chill, flowing out in a spider web pattern bringing unease and discomfort throughout my whole body like a fast acting virus infecting my entire body in a cold icy fear.

"I-I'll do t-that o-officer thank y-you." I replied my stutter in full force as my self-conscious took a harsh knock from my sudden inexplicable fear.

A few minutes after the officer had left I managed to calm myself a little, I stopped wondering if it had been real or imagined and instead simply considered what I had seen, the brief glimpse I'd caught had been the look of a wild animal, no worse than that, the officer had looked like a horrible beast hunting down some prey.

Deciding it was time to hit the hay I pushed the thoughts of the officer and enigmatic stranger Sasuke from my mind and resolved to avoid unusual and weird men in the future...or maybe all guys in general.

Nah I concluded climbing into bed, there was someone out there specially made for me.

* * *

"So why are we searching so hard for this guy?" asked a man climbing into the back seat of the black town car and tossing his fake badge onto the seat next to him.

"He's just some punk ain't he. Fucking itchy thing!" Snarled the man discarding his uniform cap too.

"He isn't particularly powerful, probably not much more powerful than you I'd estimate though we can't be sure." Answered the smaller of the men in the front of the car, a small smile colouring his face as the fake officer grimaced as if horribly insulted.

"But he's smart, and he knows a lot of our in workings...it makes for a troublesome combination you understand, or should I explain it more slowly for you." Continued the man a cruel smirk gracing his features.

"So you two have been sent after him? He can't be that bad then." Snarled the fake cop in anger, he knew he could take either of the men separately but together he wouldn't stand even a slim chance.

"Well fortunately the commander understands our enemies and has a much better grasp of tactics than you." Answered the shorter man not raising to the man's baiting, though his up until now silent partner gave an annoyed grunt and sent a glare at the man.

"Sure." Responded the man from the back seat, his words lacking severely in sincerity.

"So what did you get from the girl already Kiba!" asked the larger man shifting uncomfortably in his too small chair.

"You heard over the bug didn't you?" asked the man, Kiba, viciously.

"The scent Kiba, don't play coy, we could have sent anyone to question her for just her words." Spoke the smaller man with a sigh.

"I could smell him on her easy, or at least someone who matched his seals, and I could smell a connection too an unusual one though. I'm not sure how to place it really." Explained Kiba a frown of deep concentration on his face as he considered exactly what he'd encountered.

* * *

"Oh my God..." I whispered breathlessly as I looked upon the ashes that were now all that remained of Doctor Mason's office and practice.

I had awoken late this morning and rushed out the door of my apartment frazzled and frantic to reach work as quickly as possible and be no later than necessary, I caught a taxi and arrived to find the building to be nothing more than smouldering embers and ash.

My first thought after I regained my composure was concern for the elderly Dr Mason, had he been in the office when it burned, if he had did he make it out in time, was he in hospital and finally but most importantly was the man alive.

I tried his mobile phone number several times and got no reply after which I tried his home number receiving the same result.

I decided to paid his home a visit as a last resort for answers, if he was hospitalised then perhaps there would be someone there to tell me which hospital or a note to explain.

I hailed another taxi and gave the driver directions to Doctor Mason's home, ignoring the bubbling worry in my chest, despite my best efforts I felt the cold worry sweep it's way throughout my entire body radiating from my core.

The traffic on the freeway was highly congested and it took forty minutes before the taxi pulled up outside Doctor Masons home. I quickly thanked and paid the driver before climbing out of the taxi and accidently trampling several of Mrs Masons roses in my rush to the front door.

I knocked several times and rang the doorbell a couple of times to for good measure but after five minutes there was still no answer and I was about to give up hope and return home until I heard some banging from around the back of the house.

Seeing that the side gate was open I decided to investigate the noise in hopes of it being either Doctor Mason or his wife, I found neither of them there or anyone else for that matter but I did find the back door ajar and decided to continue my investigation inside.

"Hello! Misses Mason!" I called out as I entered the house my eyes scanning the kitchen I had entered.

I was shocked at what I saw, the room was trashed almost beyond recognition, the knocked over refrigerator and busted sink the only real way to know that the room was in fact a kitchen.

I felt a chill crawl down my spine as the sudden thought that I would rather be anywhere else than here right now invaded my mind like the nagging sensation you get as a child when you're on your own late at night, I almost expected the shadows to come to life and attack me.

The shadows didn't attack me, but something else did.

The darkly dressed man sprung from the shadows the a coiled snake attacking its prey with vicious accuracy. I felt his fist connect harshly with my left cheek with an audible smack, the force of the blow whipping my head painfully to the right. He followed up the punch grabbing me roughly by the throat and pinning me against the wall.

Reflexively I grabbed the arm holding me in place to try to relieve the pressure a little, it didn't work as the man's arm was closer to being an iron bar than flesh and bone, I gave up quickly and instead lashed out with my right hand cutting the man's brow with my nails.

I received another hard punch to the face for my effort.

"Where's Mason?" asked the man, his voice rough and broken sounding, like someone who has a conversation once every year at most.

"I-I don't k-k-know." I stuttered out fearing what was to come as the man raised his fist once again, this time his fist connected with the bridge of my nose causing nose to gush blood and my vision to swim as my eyes watered.

"Where is he!" there was an extra edge to his voice now, the kind that suggested he'd been kind with his earlier actions and that that kindness had now come to an end.

"P-please I d-don't k-k-know." I answered tasting my blood as it dripped down from my nose.

The man gave a grunt and threw me to the floor, I scrambled desperately as far away as possible only managing a foot and a half before I found myself trapped within a corner, I saw the man reach into a nearby cupboard and withdraw a large butcher knife much to my horror.

"You'll tell me what you know about Mason girl." Threatened the man approaching me slowly and menacingly.

I closed my eyes and prayed.

There was a sharp crack and I heard what I thought and hoped was the knife clatter to the ground, I opened my eyes to find the knife on the ground.

I looked up at the man to try and figure out what happened to make him drop the knife, he was crouched onto one knee holding his arm which had been bent backwards unnaturally at the elbow joint.

Another man stood next to him, a man who looked rather familiar in his long black jacket and with his spiky dark hair.

Sasuke stood next to the man looking down at him with unveiled disgust.

Almost faster than my eyes could follow Sasuke's leg struck out his shin connecting with the man's ribs and producing a loud cracking noise as several of the man's ribs fractured. The man slid several feet before coming to a halt against the wall clutching his ribs and arm and gasping for air desperately.

When I turned back to Sasuke he was gone no evidence of him ever having been there left.

Did I imagine him...no impossible my imagination couldn't have done that to the man no unconscious in the opposite corner, but was it really Sasuke.

* * *

"There you go young lady." Stated the kindly paramedic after she had reset my nose and seen to my other injuries. I thanked the woman with a small smile and stood to leave.

"I think there's two gentlemen here with some questions for you." The woman told me as I stepped away from the ambulance. I found the men sitting on a small wall not too far away, they were about the same height one with sandy brown hair and the other with darker black hair. The first man wore a slightly faded brown suit and a blue tie, the other man wore a light grey suit in slightly better condition than that of his counterparts.

I got the vague feeling that these officers weren't particularly good at what they did.

The grey suited man took the lead flashing his badge with a lazy yawn and introducing himself as 'Officer Daniels' and his partner 'Officer Connolly' before indulging himself in another yawn, his partner had yet to do anything but stare off in the distance vacantly.

"Can you please tell us why you were at Doctor Masons home and what happened in the house?" asked Daniels extracting a notebook from his suits inner pocket and a pen.

I explained how I worked for Doctor Mason and had been concerned for him after arriving late to work and finding the office burned down, about how I had heard some noise out the back and thinking it was either Mason or his wife had investigated the noise to find the back door open and the kitchen trashed, the told them about the man who attacked me and the second man who saved me.

For some reason I failed to mention that I recognised the man as Sasuke who another officer had come asking about, and I failed to give a description past calling him slightly taller than average and darkly dressed.

I could of been mistaken but as I climbed into the taxi that was to take me home out of the corner of my eye I saw the detectives who had questioned me standing with a two men in white suits.

I suddenly felt it was quite smart to not mention Sasuke's name.

* * *

And that is the first chapter of my new story, if you like it(and want it continued) then please review and let me know your thoughts and opinions on the story as it progresses.

R&R


	2. Chapter 2: Curious Angel

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Chapter Two;

* * *

The rain lashed heavily on the window as I stared out at the traffic below, it had been two days since the office I had worked in had been burned down and my boss Doctor Mason had gone missing. I had yet to receive any contact from Doctor Mason, his wife or anyone else with information about what had happened to him.

Then there was the mysterious Sasuke and how he might fit into all this, he visits Doctor Mason and then the very next day the office is burned down and Doctor Masons house has been ransacked, the last parts of which I seemed to have wandered into to be violently confronted by some dangerous men and Sasuke appears to save me from them, proving himself to be many times more dangerous than I could imagine assuming I wasn't completely concussed and only imagining what I saw.

How'd he know Doctor Mason, who were the men in the white suits and so many other questions, they plagued my mind and there was nothing I could do to get any answers. I was so distracted that I failed to hear my front door open.

"You know you used to tease me for having a messy apartment right?" called a voice from behind me startling me.

"Tenten!" I was surprised to see my friend drop by unannounced, but I probably should have expected it, the girl never had the foresight necessary to call ahead.

"Wow...bet you wish you'd stuck with the self defence classes now huh?" although she was teasing me Tenten's voice was soft as she crossed the room and pulled me into a carful although still tight hug.

"How're you holding up?" asked the girl as she released me, keeping a grip on my shoulders as she examined my face at a better distance.

"Haha, you should see the other guy." Even if I hadn't done it myself the other man had been damaged far more than I, last I heard he'd been rushed to the emergency room in critical condition one of his lungs had been pierced by one of his broken ribs and there was damage to some of his other nearby organs.

All from one kick.

"That's my girl." Breathed Tenten relieved, it always freaked out the tough girl when people got emotional around her, the corners of her mouth quirked up into a gentle smile.

"Now come on, I'm taking you out for coffee, well coffee for me, you can have hot chocolate or somethin' girly like that." Exclaimed the brunette now with a full-fledged grin on her face.

"Okay sure. But I do need to get changed first." I answered gesturing to the sweat pants and oversized t-shirt I wore.

That may have been a mistake as Tenten quickly grabbed my arm, dragged me to my bed room and proceeded to start pulling clothes from my wardrobe.

A bad habit of both my 'bestest' friends was that neither of them considered me capable of picking my own clothes, Ino would stick me in short pink and purple skirts with cute tops with bunnies and kittens on them and thigh height stockings so cute and colourful they'd make your eyes bleed. Tenten on the other hand would make me dress in leather and denim and would refuse to allow me to button up my jacket above my belly to cover up the obscenely tight tank tops she'd stick me in; she claimed it was a crime not to show off that rack, the end result was me resembling some variation of harlot...not that I'd tell either of them that.

I don't know why both of them hated my baggy comfortable clothing so much.

So in short we wound up leaving my apartment looking like a couple of biker chicks.

We reached the nearby cafe under the cover of an umbrella and found some seats near the window, Tenten quickly excused herself to get the coffee and as I reminded her a hot chocolate.

I got a few hurried glances from a couple of the cafes other patriots, either for how I was dressed or the bruises but most likely because of a mixture both, but most turned back away quickly, guess the biker chick look has it's uses after all.

I contented myself with watching the few people rush about trying to keep as dry as possible as they travelled to their destinations, all except one that is.

It took me a moment to recognise him, he walked quickly on the opposite side of the road his hands in his pockets he was either heedless of the rain that drenched him or simply didn't care about it. For a moment I froze and stared at the walking enigma between the passing vehicles.

The next moment I had darted from my seat and the cafe and was running after Sasuke, in the back of my mind I heard Tenten call out behind me. I sprinted as fast as I could all the while cursing the heavy boots I wore that made me more awkward than usual, by the time I'd gotten across the road I only had enough time to see Sasuke turn down a small alleyway.

I kept up my pursuit and rounded the same corner several seconds later, there was no one there and the alley was a complete dead end.

I spent several seconds just staring down the alleyway looking for some kind of explanation, I became aware of just how wet I'd become as a man wolf whistled at me, I'd left my jacket at the cafe and my white tank top had become soaked through revealing the modest black bra I wore beneath.

Tenten arrived a minute later to find me in the alleyway searching for how Sasuke had disappeared, she draped my jacket over my shoulders and lead me away from the alleyway.

* * *

We had returned home instead of to the coffee shop as Tenten put it 'So you don't scare the kids flashing your bazookas about' and to avoid me catching my death in my drenched clothes.

"Explain." Demanded my friend taking a seat across from me as I towel dried my hair.

And so I did, I told her about the mysterious Sasuke, the cop who'd came by and the impression I'd gotten from him at the time, and everything else I could think of at the time.

"And you decided to chase after him on your own?" asked the brunette girl her eyes wide as she stared at me in amazement and shock.

"Well yeah...I wanted answers." I explained scratching the back of my head somewhat lamely, what was I going to do if I caught up with him. I felt a burst of embarrassment in the pit of my stomach which soon wormed it's way up to my checks to make me blush brightly. Tenten simply dropped her head into her hands.

"And here I thought Ino was supposed to be the impulsive one." There was a slight laugh in her voice that told me Tenten wasn't too annoyed at my admittedly foolish actions, good I wasn't looking forward to one of the lectures usually enjoyed by Ino.

"So what should I do?" I asked my voice hopeful, Tenten was always good at seeing the best way out of a problem.

"What can you do? Forget the whole thing Hina, find a new job and avoid the hugely dangerous men in the future." Answered Tenten an odd expression on her face, one that I couldn't give a name to but which I knew entirely too well, it was the mirror image of my own expression whenever we scolded Ino, one that silently questioned why the recipient didn't use some common sence.

The world seemed out of whack as such, like something was beginning and possibilities were opening up but I had no clue as the what they were, it was frightening and exciting at the same time and I felt drawn to this man, Sasuke, like a moth to a flame; although I hoped that it wasn't quite a flame I was heading to, maybe like a moth to a light bulb instead. Or perhaps I was simply too excited to realise that it was defiantly a flame and that I wasn't heading for it.

It was coming for me.

* * *

The man stared at the apartment block directly across from him, he carried no umbrella and despite the torrential downpour from the heavens he remained out in the open refusing to duck underneath the cover that the first floor balconies of the apartment block he stood near would provide, the shelter would compromise his view.

Besides he enjoyed the rain.

The girls friend finally departed at almost midnight, the tall brunette with the buns and large chocolate brown eyes, she ran to her nearby beat up wine coloured Chevy ducking from the rain; five minutes after she'd left the apartment she pulled away after having light up a cigarette in the comfort of her vehicle.

He thought she looked like a whore.

Slowly he reached into his pocket and withdrew his mobile phone, carefully keeping it sheltered from the rain he opened the back and inserted the battery he withdrew from another pocket, hitting '1' on the speed dial he only had to wait two rings before a voice answered.

"Hello." Greeted the voice distorted and grainy by the lashing of the rain and the reception on the cheap phone model, still though the greeting sounded hollow like a bad actor reading his lines with no charisma.

"Sorry wrong number." That was the start signal, mobile calls were too easy to intercept so this was the best way to make use of them, the man once again removed the battery from the phone and pocketed both items, this left no chance for anyone to trace his current whereabouts using the gadgets electronic signal.

Half an hour later a black van pulled up next to the man in the rain and a man dressed in an expensive looking purple suit with a darker toned purple shirt beneath it stepped out of the back, he spoke to the man in the rain for several moments before they both crossed the street and entered the apartment building.

They climbed three flights of stairs, both men having an immense disliking for elevators, and finally came to apartment number 47, the man in purple gave a nod and the other man proceeded to kneel down, withdraw something for his pocket and after several seconds of fidgeting with the lock gently turned the handle and opened the door.

With that he stepped into Hinata's darkened apartment followed closely by the man in purple, just as he had said the girl had turned out all the lights and gone to sleep minutes after the other girl had left, they silently made their way to the single bedroom of the apartment.

They found an empty bed.

The man in purple quickly withdrew a walkie-talkie from his jackets inner pocket and ordered the men still in the van to begin searching the building and close off its exits.

She couldn't have gone far and he wanted her captured.

* * *

"What's going on?" I asked, no demanded, tearing my wrist from Sasuke's grip as he dragged me along behind him, we were on my apartment buildings roof now and I was now freezing only wearing an oversized t-shirt, which embarrassingly failed to cover much past my mid-thigh and failed to hide my now hard nipples.

He had appeared suddenly in my room as I lay down to go to sleep, for a moment I thought I had fallen asleep and this was only a dream then he dragged me from the apartment only stopping a second to shovel some of my clothes into bag before he dragged me up four flights of stairs with one arm over my mouth and another wrapped around my waist to keep me from running, he'd had to switch his grip to open the door to the roof.

"Some very dangerous people are after you right now, and if you want to survive tonight you'll have to trust me." Answered Sasuke, moving faster than I thought possible he once again snatched my wrist and continued to pull me along.

"Who, the men in the white suits?" I asked; as stupid as I knew it was I believed him, the sound of doors being kicked in from downstairs helped mind you, and I could tell he was on my side.

The rain continued to fall heavily and I found myself thanking every god in existence that my T-shirt wasn't white.

"No, it isn't there style." He answered leaving the question half answered.

"Why?" I asked unable to understand, an answer coming instantly to mind; because I met you.

"It's Masons fault really but I'll explain later." He answered and then almost as an afterthought raised the umbrella he'd been carrying and used it to shield me from the rain, I recognised it as the umbrella I'd 'borrowed' from the office.

"Hold on to me." Ordered Sasuke I didn't hesitate to grab onto his shoulders, my body moving of its own will before my mind had processed what was happening. I felt our bodies mash closer together and I savoured the warmth as he in turn wrapped his arms around me.

Then we were moving through the air, soundlessly over the rain we landed we were now fifteen feet away on the building top across the street from the one we had been on.

"H-how? W-what?" I stammered my eyes large and unblinking in amazement.

"Come on we gotta keep going." Whispered Sasuke gently into her ear before he released his grip on me, it took me several seconds longer before I realised I was still holding him though.

* * *

It would be two days later after neither had heard anything from me and found my apartment ransacked and seemingly robbed and trashed, although only a few items of clothing are unaccounted for in the ruins of my home, that Tenten and Ino my best friends would report me missing.

When mentions Sasuke and the officer whom had visited me she receives only blank looks and confusion from the officers looking into finding me before they chase up the leads to find nothing but dead ends.

They would cry as they imagined all the horrid possibilities of what had happened as despite what the detectives say to comfort the girls they don't believe I could abandon them without at least a goodbye.

Other groups of people will know about it too but only one such group will know that I was rescued, them assume who by based on the damage done to two of their subordinates who spotted us as we fled.

But before any of this happens my world will be completely unravelled at the seams and I'll be awoken to the secret world that stirs just beneath this world.

* * *

Okay this chapter is a bit shorter, I could write more but I think that this is the right place to divide this chapter and the next.

Hope you're enjoying it and if you wish to continue enjoying please review.

R&R


	3. Chapter 3: Released Angel

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Chapter Three;

* * *

There was a rusty clank as Sasuke opened the large metal door to what he'd called 'his place', I was too wet and cold to care to much about how horrible and ominous looking the place was only caring if he had some blankets in there or not to warm up. I faintly noted that we were near the sea, an abandoned beach being directly across from the building we now entered, and that the sun was about to rise; at least I thought so it's hard to tell behind the rain clouds.

Have I mentioned that I'm still only in a freaking t-shirt with an umbrella to ward off the wind and the rain with.

We stepped inside and I got a small surprise, the place didn't look as bad as one would guess from the outside, the walls were painted a warm maroon with touches of cream here and there, several book shelves lined one of the walls with thick dusty tomes, against the furthest wall was a large four poster bed with pitch black bed coverings, a comfortable looking couch and two arm chairs also occupied the room.

Most importantly I could see a shower in the small bathroom to the left of the entrance.

"I'm taking a shower." I informed Sasuke not bothering to wait for an answer of any sort as I made a b-line for the shower.

"So much for those questions of hers." Sasuke sighed right before I shut the bathroom door. I quickly turned on the shower and tested the water before peeling off the my t-shirt/nightdress and moving under the warm spray of water.

It was heavenly.

I lost track of time and eventually after the desire to have my questions answered was renewed along with the feeling in my toes I managed to pull myself from the shower. I was surprised to find my t-shirt missing and in its place a fluffy white towel and a change of clothes; a tank top, sweat pants only lacking a change of underwear.

I blushed a bright red when I realised how they must have gotten there. Sasuke had been in here whilst I was showering.

I stepped out of the bathroom accompanied by a cloud of steam, scanning the room I spied Sasuke standing with his back to me by the rooms fire place, a roaring fire had been brought to life in the granite grate since I had taken my shower.

The dark haired man had seemed to have contented himself with staring into the dancing flames. I found myself taking the time to take a close look at my unusual new companion.

His body seemed unnaturally relaxed, his shoulders back and relaxed even though his posture was perfect, I noticed his dark jumper and light blue jeans gave him an odd look of someone both studious and rebellious at once, I caught a flash of silver on his left hand before his hand disappeared into his jeans pocket as he turned to look at me.

Our eye's connected and I felt something inside me twist and writhe in response and a spark dance it's way on up from the base of my spine to my skull, I wondered if he felt something similar from our connection or whatever that had been.

"You certainly have a...diverse taste in clothing Hinata." He spoke raising his right hand and gesturing to the bag of clothing he had grabbed from my place, an odd smile graced his features, I wondered if perhaps I should correct him that it was in fact mine, Tenten and Ino's tastes.

"I like variety." I answered turning my head to the left slightly and brushing my slightly over grown bangs from my eyes.

"I have questions." I stated making eye contact once again with Sasuke, his eyes now held a look of hesitance which was quickly replaced with one of quiet resignation.

"Take a seat Hinata and I'll tell you everything you want to know." Ordered Sasuke, as I settled comfortably into one of the armchairs Sasuke disappeared a for a couple of seconds before reappearing with a bottle of amber liquid and two glasses half full with ice.

"Would you like a drink?" asked the dark haired man but I shook my head in refusal as I wanted to retain as much of my senses as possible sleep deprived as I may have been, oddly Sasuke still filled both glasses with what I thought most likely to be whiskey.

"Just in case." Answered Sasuke at my questioning glance.

After he seemed reasonablely comfortable, if not still much tenser than I thought to be natural for the man, I pounced with the first question. The one that had been on my mind all night.

"What are you?" I asked such a simple question but one that I suspected the answer to was infinitely more complicated.

Sasuke's face was morphed into an expression I had previously thought only cats used when enjoying a particularly satisfying game with an energetic mouse. It wasn't unnerving in the way it should have been, more like a familiar half annoyance at a friend teasing you.

The phrase 'conceited bastard' came quickly to mind.

"I'm the same as you Hinata." Answered Sasuke a twinkle in his eye.

So much for 'infinitely more complicated'.

"And who are the men in white you warned me about, ice cream men?" I asked feeling a degree of frustration enter my voice.

"Maybe in their free time, but I think it might be better if I tell you a story before you ask any more questions." Responded Sasuke before raising from his seat, his discomfort once again highly apparent, he took a 'healthy' mouthful of his drink and in two strides of his long legs he stood before the fire, once more he looked like the ominous dark stranger I thought him to be.

"Do you believe in a God Hinata, or perhaps another form of Divinity?" asked Sasuke and the firelight cast an ominous shadow across his features.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked kind of shocked at the question, were the men in white suits religious fanatics, or was Sasuke?

"Personally I don't, not in any God anyway. I know for a fact though that there are beings in this world who while not Gods, contrary to some of their beliefs, are something more than human." Continued Sasuke.

"Demons, Angels, Saints, lesser deities or otherwise, each religion has their own names for them. The men in White are one such group of creatures. But there are others, another group was at your apartment block last night." Sasuke kept speaking and while I should have begun thinking he was insane by now, I kept listening attentively.

"What woke you tonight, I didn't make any noise." Inquired Sasuke turning to me with a raised eyebrow and genuine curiosity in his voice.

"I-I felt a pain, n-no that's not it..." I tried to put into words what I had felt but found it difficult.

"An uncomfortable feeling in the back of your mind a dull pseudo-pain." Finished Sasuke his eyes staring directly into mine and piercing deeper than I cared to think about.

"Yes. I-I thought you caused it." I answered him, and much to my shame I realised that something in the man's stare or perhaps the question he'd asked had revived my old stutter.

"No, you'd feel something different from me, I should think." He spoke quietly under his breath so I couldn't be certain of what he'd said.

"It was the group that had come for you that caused it. That's how the seals work, better than even our own minds they know who's our friend and who's our foe." Explained Sasuke stepping away from the fire and closer to me.

"Seals?" I asked not quite believing the story but interested none the less.

In answer Sasuke tugged off his black jumper and a dark blue t-shirt that he wore beneath, and after I marvelled at the chiselled abs, broad chest and powerful arms that his wardrobe very modestly hid I realised what the seals must be.

Around his left forearm the tattoo of what I thought to be a cobra coiled around his skin, a small white and red fan that seemed less aggressive than the other was on his chest just above his heart, two swirling lines also decorated the upper part of his left arm and I felt it to be frighteningly familiar to me.

"Wow." Was all I managed to get out as I glimpsed another tattoo on his back and the same silver flash off his left hand as before while he redressed.

"All of them have their own unique properties and in the past at one time or another had binded me to different groups. I'll give you an indebt explanation and demonstration of their abilities later but they're what allow us to sense others of our kind. The pseudo pain of last night in the case of enemies, and in the case of comrades..." Sasuke stepped closer now so that he stood directly in front of me.

I felt my heart race and yet at the same I felt a warmness settle next to the butterflies in my stomach, I felt comfortable.

"...we'd feel exactly what you're feeling right now I think." Finished Sasuke leaning closer and placing both his hands on the armrests of my chair, I barely noticed him move though as the closer he got, the stronger the butterflies fluttered and the more content my soul began to feel.

It was intoxicating in its own way.

"W-we?" I stuttered out the question knowing for a fact that I didn't have any 'seals'.

"It think it's best if I show you." He told me as a much more pleasant, and attractive I secretly thought, smile appeared on his face.

His left hand moved quickly, or maybe I had just failed to pay attention, and I felt Sasuke grip my right bicep. Euphoria erupted within me and I found it hard to concentrate as waves of pleasure rolled out of the spot where Sasuke had grabbed me.

He let go a moment later and I groggily came to my senses to find myself panting heavily and sweating profusely, I doubled over slightly and felt my forehead press against something soft and warm. Sasuke's shoulder as it turned out.

"What was that?" I asked feeling a dull pain begin to throb from where Sasuke had touched me.

"That was your first seal being awoken." Answered Sasuke matter of factly, that cat like grin had returned to his face now as I leaned back in the chair and met his eyes once more.

"First?" I coughed out wiping some seat from my eyes.

"First." He confirmed and out of the corner of my eye I was his right hand move, then I quickly felt his hand press against my skin just above my heart and more sparks erupted behind my eyes.

* * *

He tried sent me to bed after releasing my second seal, I'd try to argue that I now had more questions to ask if anything but I'd slipped off to sleep before I could ask any more questions.

That said I was quite surprised to find myself awaken in the large four poster bed and not in the armchair I'd fallen asleep on.

"Sasuke!" I called out hesitantly as I slipped out of bed seeing no sign of the mysterious man, my hopes were raised for a brief moment and then dashed when I tried the door to find it locked, I briefly toyed with the idea of breaking the door but I doubted that would happen, I'd never been particularly strong and the door looked very sturdy.

I realised that I'd wind up having to just wait for my captor to return home, I contented myself by convincing myself it was better that I wait around and get my answers.

But what if Sasuke wouldn't let me go after that?

I busied myself in a hunt for some sort of weapon to use if the worst case scenario arose. I was once again disappointed, if Sasuke had any weapons they sure were well hidden, I did come across something particular, a chest with the name Takeda engraved on it.

Inside was some old looking worn clothing that looked dated, a few other items were strewn about too, an old pendant, and pair of reading glasses and a photograph two old black and white photographs, one was a family photo of a mother, father and two young boys, looking at them I'd wager they were ancestors of Sasuke, his grandfathers family perhaps the youngest one probably being Sasuke's grandfather.

The other photo was more surprising, it was Sasuke's grandfather, who I presumed was named Takeda, posing with two friends an excited looking blonde man slightly shorter than Sasuke's ancestor with cobalt blue eyes and a girl with a startlingly pale shade of strawberry blonde hair, it almost appeared pink, her pale green eyes were alive with happiness as she hugged her two friends close for the picture. On the back in elegant script was a note, "Me with Kenji and Yui".

A stack of books were also in the chest and more out of curiosity than anything else I picked up the top book of the pile and began to read. It turned out to be a diary.

* * *

_It was my twelfth birthday today, Masaka gave me this blank book, he said it would be good to write down my thoughts and that it would help control my nightmares._

_I guess I'll start with my latest nightmare, it was different from the other ones everything was more vivid and definite than the other times, I saw lightning streaking through a black sky and fire spread all over the ground as far as I could see, then the scenery changed suddenly and I was standing among oak trees, thick sturdy and strong, and I felt a sudden sereneness to the place with its soft sunlight and gentle breeze. I felt light and weightless as if I were drifting in the clouds high above my head._

_Then suddenly both images combined and melted into each other the trees were now ablaze with flames and the lightning once again danced through the sky. The winds had become violent and aggressive and my sense of peace had been utterly destroyed, replaced by something new._

_When I had been in the first part of my dream I felt a furious sense of power, it was destructive, in the second part I felt a calm strength the kind sensei always preached about during training. In the final part I felt both at once the raw strength and the controlled, although it didn't make real sense I felt like the trees were controlling the flames, the clouds directing the lightning._

_It was the fragile balance of power, like that of the edge of the blade._

_I told my father about the dream but he simply told me to forget such foolishness and concentrate on my studies instead, I heard him talking to mother later though I don't think they noticed me though. Father told her it would soon be time. This seemed to upset Mother though as she began sobbing._

_I'm not sure what to think of all this._

* * *

There was nothing of particular interest in the next few paragraphs and I quickly skimmed through them, several pages in I came to another interesting entry.

* * *

_I met an interesting girl today, Kenji and I were messing around doing a little sparring in the yard when she passed by, I think maybe Kenji fell in love at first sight. She's moved in nearby, she had been exploring the area when she passed by us and we got acquainted, that is to say Kenji shouted and spluttered everything he could of while I added the occasional word and the girl blushed occasional and added her own bits and pieces to the conversation, she seemed the shy type to me._

_We got ramen together at Kenji's insistence and got to know each other more thoroughly, favourite foods and that kind of thing, it's odd but when I'm with the two of them my headaches go away for a little bit. The dreams are still there and the headaches that follow too but they now effect me all the time and not just the day after the dream. _

* * *

I smiled to myself considering the entry, that girl could very well turn out to be Sasuke's grandmother, I was curious why Sasuke had kept these he certainly didn't seem to be so sentimental as to keep his Grandfathers diary's.

Another entry almost half of the way through the diary caught my attention, the pen strokes were much rougher than usual and several words were crossed out where Takada misspelled something and scribbled the word out.

* * *

_It's like a window is now open in my mind, suddenly I understand the dreams and the headaches...it was the truth trying to come out._

_Our families had arranged a dinner party or something to that effect, Kenji and Yui had been invited over and we were told to go and wait in another room before the dinner. We were attacked in the home by three men in black. One of them grabbed each of us and they began hauling us in different directions. I heard Yui shriek and out of the corner of my eye I saw them tear her kimono._

_What happened next I don't quite know how to explain except in one way; I'd become the burning Tree and Lightning clouds, suddenly the giant man couldn't make me budge in the slightest I was the tree grounded by its powerful roots and in the next second I lashed out with a punch I hoped would push the man back enough to allow me to get to Yui. Something else happened instead, I hadn't only become the tree after all, I had also become the clouds...and I called the lightning._

_The Lightning danced across my fist as it connected and tore its way through the man's torso, blood splattered all over me and I think I can still feel it on my skin, I looked around the room to find the other two men also dead, the man who'd attacked Kenji had a hole through him too and the left side of the third man's face was disfigured and his neck at an odd angle._

_We held each other until our parents returned to explain things to us, our heritage and what we were. They told us we'd change in time slowly, our features may change and what we'd done to those men would be nothing compared to what we'd we capable of in the end._

_They told us that there were others like us. My Father and Kenji's were like us but our Mothers were not, they both seemed beside themselves with grief and I suspect they didn't know what our Fathers had had planned for us. Neither of Yui's parents were like us, they'd been found and told the truth of their daughter. Apparently this wasn't rare at all and it was actually Naruto and I who were unusual. Masaka was also like us and I was told that Masaka's true name was Itachi. I was also told my name, my supposed true name, but I won't go by that name. I'm Takeda, Masaka is Masaka, Kenji is Kenji and Yui is Yui, no one is anybody else._

* * *

I was horrified at what I'd read, Sasuke's Grandfather was like him and like me too if I believed what he'd told me last night. It all seemed impossible but then again so did Sasuke, I'd already witnessed impossible things from him but how much else of what he said was true.

I heard the lock turning in the door and quickly returned the diary to its chest and sat on the bed trying to look as innocent as possible.

Sasuke strode into the room locking the door after him and he settled a brown bag on the coffee table my the couch. He removed his long dark coat to reveal his now typical studious come rebellious taste in clothing, his jumper was a deep crimson red and his jeans a darker shade of blue than last night.

"You hungry?" he asked withdrawing some food from the bag, deli sandwiches from the looks of it, the first thought of food made me feel sick to my stomach for some reason and I hesitantly made my way over adamant that I would not be eating and would simply politely deny the offer.

"You're eating no arguments, the sickness is a side effect of the seal being released but you've got to keep up your strength. It'll ebb, the closer you stay to me." Spoke the dark man taking one of the sandwiches as his own, surprisingly he was right, the sickness died down immensely the closer we got.

And without distractions the questions I had on my mind returned to me immediately.

"What are these tattoos, the seals you called them?" I asked, I'd come across an entry in Takeda's diary where he described the seals he's gained, the same as two of Sasuke's he had the fan above his heart and the symbol on his left upper arm. I had found one on my upper right arm similar to the later and a white flame above my heart.

"The seals of power are manifestations of your powers and at the same time your loyalty, many only have the one, the symbol to their order, like the one on our upper arms, there are also those that link you to your family; your true family that is, those are rarer as only the more powerful families had them but a lot of our kind do have them." Answered Sasuke matter of factly and I immediately realised he wasn't telling me the full story, after all he had three maybe four of them.

"What powers do you mean?" I asked certain this was my chance to discover the truth, if he claimed I had these powers and I didn't than I'd know none of this madness was true and it had been fear and exhaustion playing tricks on my mind.

"This one, it links you to the Konoha order, it fortifies your strength to that of about five men and your physical resistance and constitution to about the same too. As for the other seal, it's heightens your eyesight to super human, it also improves your dexterity considerably and it heightens your speed and strength slightly as well, though you have another power I'm not sure how to explain it to you, it should come to you in time though." He explained as he stood having finished his sandwich quickly.

I was now sure Sasuke was simply mad, I certainly didn't have the strength of five men.

Suddenly the lights cut out but I could still see Sasuke relatively clearly, very clearly actually, and then my eyes caught a flash of silver and a moment later I found myself holding a small blade in my hand about two inches from my face.

"What the hell!" I shouted suddenly staring hard at Sasuke and the knife within my hand.

"You seemed sceptical I assume you doubt about your abilities are gone now." Answered Sasuke calmly.

"Is this how you always do this, the seal stuff?" I asked, it had bothered me because of what I'd read in Takeda's diary, Sasuke had given me my seals with the simple touch but Takeda's had came to him during a life or death struggle, when I was attacked and I believed I was going to die super powers didn't suddenly appear.

"No usually you gain the seals at a younger age, you and your best friend are put in a life or death position, the seals usually manifest." He answered.

"Your best friend?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The power won't appear in self defence the first time, I'm not sure why, it has to be for someone else you call upon your abilities." Responded Sasuke before striding away from me.

"Dress warmly I need to take you somewhere." He called after himself before disappearing from the room.

Things had suddenly become infinitely more complicated and exciting than the simple quiet life I had been enjoying and complaining about before I'd met the handsome and extensively dangerous Sasuke.

Still I suppose it was exciting though.

* * *

And that's chapter three for ya folk, I hope you're enjoying the story so far please review, it pleases me to no end and keeps the story going strong .

R&R


	4. Chapter 4: Dancing Demon

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Chapter Four;

* * *

"So where are we going?" I asked hesitantly as I followed the dark man, I had found some clothes that actually suited my tastes among the pile Sasuke that had grabbed from my apartment. Comfortable blue jeans topped with one of Tenten's leather jackets and Ino's flowery scarves, the attire did make me feel at least a little more comfortable.

"I can't show you the full extent of your power here without calling some...unwanted attention to ourselves, I've got a small cabin to the north that should give us the privacy we need." Explained Sasuke in his usual gruff tone without so much as a glance in my direction, as if this were the most regular and obvious situation in the world, he opened the black umbrella he carried as he stepped out into the light rain outside; I was forced to stay a little closer than seemed appropriate to him to avoid the icy rain.

"You've told me what I can do...but how about your abilities. What can you do Sasuke?" I asked more out of curiosity than anything else to pass the time. I had already guessed he was stronger, though from what I'd read in Takeda's diary I knew I roughly measured up equally with him and he was considered quite powerful.

But perhaps that was only considered powerful back then, he only had half as many seals his descendant did.

Despite Sasuke only mentioning them to me once I seemed to have memorised the figures he'd told me perfectly, as if he hadn't actually told me them at all, only reminded me.

I was kinda creepy.

"That's not important right now." He answered curtly, looks like I hit a nerve, I wonder why, he doesn't seem the particularly modest type.

"And when will it be important?" I asked shivering for a second and unconsciously stepping closer to Sasuke for warmth, a shiver had just run down my spine.

"In about thirty minutes when the two guys who guard the northern exit from town try to intercept us." He answered coldly and I suddenly felt glad I wasn't the one he was speaking about.

I glanced about quickly, despite the rain there was quite a few people on the street around us, would Sasuke be able to handle them without drawing that unwanted attention he had spoken about, and more importantly if he had the same type of abilities as Takeda then how many people would die in the cross fire.

"Before we go, can I say goodbye to my friends, before we leave Sasuke?" I asked, a voice in my head scolding me for even asking and not simply demanding to go, I was not this man's pet or slave, but I'd been ignoring that particular voice all my life and it wasn't going to change now.

"Your friends have already been contacted by the people currently hunting us Hinata, fortunately they've contented themselves with the idea that they, your friends, have no idea where you are. They'll be watching them just on the off chance you return to say goodbye to them, and even if I can stop them from capturing you they'll torture your friends for any information you may have told them." He answered coldly with an unspoken disappointment in his voice made me suspect that he thought the question had been particularly foolish.

"I'm sorry." I answered not quite sure why I did, I was hardly some sort of super spy who considered every possible way someone might try to kill, torture or kidnap me or one of my friends at every moment in my life.

Almost unnoticeably Sasuke paused and hesitated in his stride an odd look coming over his face, his eyes lost a small measure of their hard severity and glazed over in a more melancholy and regretful look.

"No Hinata, I'm the one who should be sorry...I never meant for it to turn out this way." He spoke solemnly his black eyes regarding me sadly for a moment before he seemed to seal himself back up into his core; once again he was the emotionless enigma.

"Down here." I was suddenly led down a nearby subway entrance, I thought we were going to take a subway until I noticed the construction signs dotting the area.

"What ar-" I started to ask Sasuke what we were doing down here but he quickly cut me off.

"They won't attack us in broad daylight even though I've allowed them to sense me, but by running down here they'll assume I'm some amateur not smart enough to hide my signature trying to get out of the city via an underground route." Sasuke explained quickly leading me deeper down the tunnel.

"But why not just walk past them if they won't attack us?" I asked considering the imminent seemingly unnecessary violence.

"We'd appear on their radar then and we'd be attacked by far more numerous and dangerous enemies once we exited the city. We'd be dead before we got a mile from the city." Stated Sasuke brashly as he pushed me behind a ticket machine.

"Stay down and don't make any noise." With that he rose to his full height removing his black duster and handing it to me.

"It might get a little colder in here very soon." He informed me an odd twinkle in his eye that made me recall something Takeda had wrote in his diary, that he considered using his powers very enjoyable and almost addictive.

I got the feeling Sasuke too would enjoy this more than he should.

I didn't hear them approach because of the sound's of the construction in the background but my eyes immediately caught sight of them as they entered the room, one was somewhere between a man and a woman with long brown hair and of relatively small stature. The other was a large lump of a man with a bald head and messy goatee.

Faster than I could follow Sasuke's left arm shot out lightning racing across it and extending until it crashed into the ceiling above the stairs to the street exit, once the dust settled I saw that the way out was completely blocked.

My first thought was that Sasuke must be very arrogant to assume his attackers would immediately run from him. Then I reconsidered, Takeda had been quite powerful in his time and he hadn't been capable of anything like that with his lightning, maybe it was simply a matter of age, Sasuke would be almost twice the age of Takeda.

"The Uchiha? How interesting." mused the smaller one eying Sasuke like one would a troublesome stain or insect.

"Who?" grunted the large man, his eye brows suddenly drawing together in concentration.

"There someone else too?" asked the large man turning to his partner with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe, but they match the signature the Uchiha should have, perhaps the little boy has bitten off more than he can chew and is trying to trick us. A cute trick that's all." Answered the smaller man grinning in self satisfaction.

"As for who he is, he's a Konoha deserter, should have two seals. He was probably hoping we only had one each. Too bad, so sad." Continued the brunette.

Sasuke was only supposed to have two seals, were his others just tattoos maybe. Was Sasuke in trouble now, should I help him, dozens of difficult questions raced through my mind all in a single second.

"Konoha deserter huh, I never did like Konoha so I think I be enjoying this." Spoke the large man stepping forward till he was within arm's reach of Sasuke.

"Scared stiff kid? You should be." He chuckled lashing out roughly and far slower than I knew Sasuke, and I suspected myself, could move.

Yet Sasuke didn't move.

I started to feel the first prickling of true fear dance its way up my spine as I saw Sasuke raised into the air to dangle helplessly.

"Where's your little light show now boy huh!" snarled the man his eyes wild a berserkers' rage.

Slowly Sasuke raised his right arm to grip the much larger mans bulging forearm, it seemed an insignificant jester of protest to myself and to the brunette, the bald man himself began laughing heartily at the move.

"Two order seals, completely tuned for muscular strength and resistance, but nothing in the way of speed or dexterity...you're a warrior of extremely unfortunate proportions, useless without a partner tch." Spoke Sasuke, a cynical edge gracing his voice as the man stopped his laughing and his face set itself in a mask of pure rage and hatred.

"Even if I were it wouldn't matter now that I've got a grip on you, you little shit!" roared the man as he raised his other arm to strike Sasuke, I closed my eyes shut tight.

There was a pained shout.

And it wasn't Sasuke's voice I heard.

When I opened my eyes I discovered Sasuke was completely uninjured and the other man had fallen to his knees and was desperately attempting to wrench his arm from Sasuke's grip a look of desperation and, I felt certain, unaccustomed fear painfully apparent on his face.

There was a shout from the brunette and the temperature of the room suddenly dropped dramatically frost appearing on the ground and walls.

And suddenly everything was moving and I understand why Takeda had claimed to be the lightning, I saw it firsthand now because Sasuke was the lightning.

His left hand erupted in lightning and he immediately plunged his fist through the bald man's chest lighting up his insides. At the same time I felt my foot side on the icy floor and tumbled roughly out from wear I hid.

"Shit!" I heard Sasuke swear.

The brunette immediately set his sights on me flinging several sharp needles at me. I felt my hands move up, guided by instinct perhaps, and deflect the three needles that were aimed at different vital points, somehow without ever making contact with them a force seemed to catch them and allow me to manipulate them. As the last one sailed around me harmlessly the brunette appeared right in front of me bringing a small knife down in a sharp arc.

Once again before I could even think how to act I was moving, my left palm connected with his elbow halting the arc of his knife and I struck out with my right palm hitting the brunette hard in the stomach driving the wind from him.

My luck was short lived however as without proper footing my attack also sent me to the floor sliding several feet away. The brunette raised looking angry but completely uninjured, somehow the ice didn't seem to effect the brunettes footing in the slightest.

Before he could advance any further on me however a wall of flames erupted between the two of us cutting him off, I couldn't see Sasuke and I released that he must still be on the other side of the wall.

A moment later the wall dissipated to reveal Sasuke standing tall in front of me completely unharmed except a small cut on his left bicep, there were wisps of smoke softly rising from behind his shoulder and I dared not look down to discover what Sasuke had done to my attacker.

I met his eyes and suddenly I felt safe again.

I was however surprised when he took two quick steps forward covering the distance between us and pulled me into his arms for a brief hug as he mumbled an apology into my hair. And just as quickly he was gone picking up his jacket and leading me from the subway station.

* * *

I had grabbed three of Takeda's diary's before we left Sasuke's place, I kept them buried under my clothes in the backpack I was carrying. Sasuke had said I wouldn't need a change of clothes but I insisted.

We took the trip north by train and though Sasuke had claimed in the station that there were no other people like us around the place, I had suggested referring to them as Angels since he had referenced them as such in his story, he had smirked and started calling them Demons as his quick reference instead, still he had decided to go for a patrol of the train.

I took the opportunity to read one of Takeda's diary entries.

* * *

_It's started. I didn't believe my father when he first told me, but maybe that's simply because I didn't want to believe him._

_I can't remember the little things anymore, when did I meet Yui and Kenji? What did I get Yui for her last birthday? How did Kenji and I get the scars on our forearms?_

_Yui and I have been together for a year now, I'm not sure when we met but I can still remember what she looked like back then. She's become beautiful though, her pink hair has deepened a lot and her eyes have become a much more vivid green. My father has warned me not to pursue any kind of relationship with her so I've kept it quiet._

_I think she may be pregnant and that thought fills me equally with happiness and worry. I'm not sure what to do, I just want to take Yui and run, I think Kenji will help and I want to believe Masaka will help too but he's been acting oddly lately._

_Father says he's almost fully developed._

_That means he won't remember anything, he won't our Masaka anymore._

_He'll be their Itachi._

* * *

I felt my heart constrict at the passage. I realised that this diary must be one Takeda used several years after the first one I read. The idea that I was reading a forbidden love story at the same time as reading about Takeda losing himself and his family. I also felt an odd abrasion at continuing to read. What if Takeda forgets Yui and his child...

I heard steps outside the compartment door and quickly stuffed the diary back into my backpack.

"Are you alright?" asked Sasuke as he stepped into the compartment taking a seat across from me.

"Yeah, so you're S. Uchiha?" I asked, I had figured it out in the tunnel.

"And you 'borrowed' my umbrella." He answered almost playfully as a miniscule smile appeared on his face, I was glad I had broken the ice for the question that I really wanted to ask.

"How do- did you know Doctor Mason?" I asked, before I'd been drawn into this whole mystical world, that Sasuke seemed at the heart of, that had been my only real question.

"He was one of the people I had in charge of looking after you." He answered keeping eye contact perfectly with me.

"Excuse me." I responded brisling, there were few things I got angry about but I grew up being bounced from foster home to foster home and worked hard to raise the money to get into college, nobody was looking after me.

"I know what you're thinking but I kept things the best and most stable I could. They made sure none of the foster homes were dangerous and most importantly kept you off the radar of the demons." He continued and I felt my anger dissipate somewhat, he wasn't trying to claim my achievements were his own.

"What did Mason do? You said it was his fault." I prodded, I had learned that Sasuke didn't answer questions well without prompts.

"He contacted me directly." Answered Sasuke compactly and without any unnecessary extra information.

"Why?" I asked, I guessed that the Angels had discovered Mason was linked to Sasuke through the contact, but why would he risk such a thing.

"You know Mason has a daughter right? She gave birth to a Demon." He answered, again if I understood this world he was from maybe then I wouldn't need any more information, but I suspected that with his curt answers and rough voice perhaps Sasuke just wasn't used to talking to anyone. Surprisingly he went on without prompting this time.

"When a couple gives birth to a Demon they're given one chance to allow their child to join whichever order finds them first, it's usually the order they have a seal for, if they refuse the parents are murdered and their child taken." Sasuke spoke coldly with his signature dis-attachment, I heard myself let out a horrified gasp as I stared at him with wide eyes.

Doctor Mason would always talk so fondly and with such love for his daughter I couldn't stand the idea of him losing her; the excitement he'd shown when he told me of his daughters pregnancy. It just couldn't be.

"Tell me he had you protect and move his family Sasuke, tell me that's what he wanted you for!" my voice was higher than I expected it to be, less controlled than I want it to be.

"I wish I could. But I'm no protector Hinata, I managed to return his granddaughter to him and his wife. It was the best I could do." And then I was holding Sasuke's jumper bawled in my fists and sobbing quietly, for Takeda who I feared would forget and lose all he held dear to him, for the kind old couple who lost their child and would have to spend the rest of their lives running and protecting their grandchild.

For Sasuke too, and myself, but I wasn't sure why.

Not yet anyway.

* * *

And that's the forth chapter hope your all still enjoying the story so far , any question or comments please review or send me a pm. I love getting feedback so no need to be shy about it.

Please Review.

R&R


	5. Chapter 5: Mischievous Angel

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

A small pseudo sex scene in this chapter, done it mainly cause I've never wrote one before and while I'm not planning to make a career out of it anything I figured I may as well try my hand at it, the fics m rated anyway, I'll mark it in case anyone wants' to skip it, it's nothing overly raunchy so don't worry too much ;).

Chapter Five;

* * *

"_Get back here bitch!" shouted one of the dark garbed men hurling two over sized shuriken at me, I managed to avoid the blades but had failed to notice the wires attached to the blades, when my attacker gave a tug on the wire I was soon entangled in the wire._

"_You made a good run at it but no one evades us forever whore." I heard the man call triumphantly and saw him draw a blade from behind his back, I struggled redundantly unable to break free of the tough wire, I'd used up to much energy on...something; it could have saved me but I was too tired to use it._

_I had only seconds before the man would kill me and I could only hope Sasuke managed to evade his captors and get away._

* * *

"Hinata wake up!" I awoke groggy to find Sasuke holding me looking unusually concerned, had I been dreaming?

"Wha?" I asked roughly my throat dry and my voice raspy.

"It was just a dream Hinata, that's all." Answered the dark haired man shifting his grip on me. I felt a cold draft prickle at my upper arm and I suddenly realised that I was no longer covered by my jacket, it must have fallen off during my nightmare or when Sasuke grabbed me. Looking down I remembered why I had been so careful all day to keep my jacket on.

I was wearing a light blue tank top Ino had got me, this of course meant that it was one maybe two sizes too small, showed off my belly button and a sliver of the bra I wore beneath; it also revealed both of my newly acquired tattoo, the swirly lines on my right arm and the flame design on my left breast.

I blushed brightly and looked away from Sasuke shifting my body slightly.

The slight shift however caused my arm seal to against Sasukes bare skin.

At first it felt kind of like when Sasuke first unsealed me but then as he moved away from me I felt something I hadn't felt when I was unsealed, desire and an uncontrollable hunger for more, I wanted Sasuke closer to be.

For what felt like an eternity but was likely only a couple of minutes I contented myself with staring at the handsome man earning only a raised eyebrow from him before he returned to reading, I couldn't bring myself to concentrate enough to read the books title.

It was an after effect of my seal touching him I told myself it would pass and I shouldn't make a fool of myself in the mean time.

(Sex scene)

The sentiment didn't last and I quickly scrambled over onto Sasuke's lap, as I did I felt the pleasure grow and swell and with it so too did the need.

"Hinata," spoke Sasuke calmly with a look of mild annoyance on his face.

Well that wouldn't do.

With strength I was still unable to control I tore open the Uchiha's jumper to reveal his broad chest, I quickly hammered my palm against the fan on his chest, I saw little in his face except a brief flash in his eyes. That wouldn't do either I still wanted more.

I ground my hips into his desperately and lowered my lips to his seal licking and sucking lightly at the dyed skin.

"I want you. Now!" I demanded, and I did want his, in any and every way I could imagine possible, the sex stories that Ino and Tenten had told me and I'd been quietly embarrassed of or disgusted about; I wanted all of those things now. The stories they told me about kinky things they wouldn't do I even wanted.

I wanted everything Sasuke could give me and I wanted it every dirty, despicable way he could give it.

"I had hoped to avoid this." Spoke the dark haired man solemnly, but despite the words I felt his hand reach up to my left beast and tear the clothes covering it away.

"That's more like it baby." I heard myself moan my left hand grabbing the back of his head and shoving his face in my cleavage while my right moved trailing its way down his chest to his belt buckle.

I licked my lips imagining how he would taste.

I felt his arms snake around my waist and heard the rustle of some clothe then much to my delight I felt him pull me closer smashing our chests together. And I felt our seals connect and electricity raced through by whole body.

"Uhhhnnn!" I moaned loudly and raunchily in orgasm, I locked my teeth to Sasuke's neck suckling and nibbling probably a little less than gently. I was overwhelmed by the sensations racking my body, an orgasm from so little I was amazed.

"I'm sorry Hinata." I heard Sasuke whisper into my hair, sorry for what, I never wanted this to end.

I felt Sasuke's left arm move and then his left forearm pressed against my second seal.

Both of my seals were now in contact with two of his.

An obscene scream of pleasure tore its way from my throat.

My vision went as another orgasm racked my body, then another and another.

I revelled in the feelings that raced through me for maybe fifteen minutes, the pleasure continued to grow and grow. Then I realised that too much of a good thing could be bad.

The pleasure assaulted me so intensely I wasn't sure if it was pleasureful or painful anymore, I tried to push away from Sasuke if only for a second to regain my senses.

Then I'd be already for more.

But I couldn't budge, not even an inch and I felt Sasuke begin to nibble at my ear and blow softly into my ear, it was just too much I was going to go insane.

I heard Sasuke mumble something and stroke my back in an odd pattern and I felt myself move even tighter against Sasuke, he moved his arm from back but I still found it impossible to budge.

"Sasuke." I moaned loudly, I had hoped to plead with him to let me go but that seemed to be all I was capable of.

I felt his hand trail along the inside of my thigh and a shout broke free from my lips as another orgasm raced throughout by body.

To late I realised why I had only ached for sex and not double seal contact, by body wouldn't be able to handle it, Sasuke was going to kill me with pleasure.

I felt his hand ghost its way up my spine and at the same time his mouth made a trek down ward till finally he moved his lips away from my skin and flicked his tongue against my right nipple. Another orgasm hit me and I noticed for the first time the tears in my eyes.

And somehow a small part of me still wanted more.

Slowly, purposefully I felt Sasuke bring his right hand down until he reached the waistband of my jeans, and he kept going reaching beneath the denim and under the cloth of my underwear.

The strongest orgasm yet rocked my body and I felt myself go limp, too much, I couldn't take anymore.

And much to my surprise I slipped off of Sasuke and landed on the train floor, the smell of sex overwhelming now in the carriage and I could feel the wetness running down my legs as I stood up, backing away from Sasuke.

"Why?" my throat was rough and I could barely speak.

(Sex Scene end)

"That lust is common to all of us, it comes when our seals touch." Explained Sasuke looking an oddly calm image with his top torn open and scratches running down his chest.

"Why didn't you stop me?" I finally managed to ask, he'd taken advantage of me so, he knew what I was feeling and he used it against me.

"I could have, easily, but you would have probably started making similar attempts whenever you thought you had a chance and you wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else but me. That would have been a problem since to control the lust you'll need to be able to control your seals." Explained Sasuke and I found myself wondering at the logic of his plan, what did he do to change that.

"How do you feel now, ashamed maybe, angry certainly, afraid I hope. More than a worded warning this one will make you think twice. And you'll be able to ignore the connection enough to learn to control your seals." Finished Sasuke standing up.

And I did feel angry, ashamed and very afraid, but I still wanted him only not so badly as before, I could ignore the 'connection' now.

Maybe our little exchange was for the best.

"W-where are you going?" I asked blushing in embarrassment as another thought came to me, I'd thrown myself at him and Sasuke had refused me.

What was wrong with me.

"They'll track out scent here, we've gotta get off the train before they pounce on it." Answered Sasuke putting on his jacket as I did the same.

I could only blush deeper as I realised what scent 'they' would be tracking.

* * *

"What did you do to me back there anyway?" I asked my travelling companion, to my amusement his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and I immediately realised what he must think I was referencing, I giggled at the confusion I'd caused.

"Not that silly, when I couldn't move, you did that right. Was it one of your own powers, like the lightning and the fire?" I asked wondering again just how strong Sasuke was, he controlled elements of nature and from what I could tell he was definitely stronger than me, probably faster too.

"No it's not like that, it's an ability yeah. But it's not exclusive to me, any of us can do it. Though most don't have the patience for it. It's the art of Runes; ancient symbols that act as spells when used by someone with a Seal. There not especially powerful though and even the relatively strong ones take decades of practise" Explained Sasuke keeping his pace strong, we'd been travelling north through the woods for maybe an hour now.

Decades though, that must have been a miss speak, he probably meant they took decades to create and were passed down through a family, I think Takeda's diary had mentioned them before.

"Can you show me?" I asked hesitantly, so far Sasuke hadn't been exactly forthcoming about showing me his abilities and I doubted that would change now.

"It can't do any harm I suppose." Answered Sasuke stopping next to a large tree, swaying gently in the breeze.

"Really?" I hadn't meant to sound so excited, I blamed the connection Sasuke had mentioned, it was making it near impossible to hide my emotions from him.

I desperately hoped to gain control soon, Sasuke should have been in the same state as me but the connection didn't seem to give him so much as an inch.

"Yeah, you might get some use out of this demo once you remember a couple of runes. The rune I used on you was a binding rune. Watch." Commanded the Uchiha tracing a symbol on the tree before tapping the rune, I assumed that's how the rune was activated after it was drawn.

The branches and leafs that had been swaying in the breeze stilled and became utterly still as if they were now made of steel.

"There are others too, for example." Spoke Sasuke as he stepped closer to me, I was still staring dumbly at the tree wondering if I too had those kinds of abilities.

I felt him trace a symbol on me forehead and activate it.

I tried to ask what he's done exactly but when I opened my mouth no sound came, two more attempts later I realised what the seal must have done.

The bastard had muted be!

"You know I think I prefer you this way." I heard Sasuke mutter with a small laugh as he walked on.

Weird, Sasuke didn't seem the joking type, or the laughing type come to think of it.

I tried to call out for him to wait up and suddenly realised something.

That damn bastard hadn't lifted the rune.

* * *

We arrived at the cabin Sasuke had mentioned just before sunset and to my surprise the place wasn't as beaten down and rickety as I had expected. I was in for another surprise when we entered the cabin.

"Hinata dear it's good to see you again." Greeted the elderly doctor Mason a kindly smile lighting up his features.

"Doctor Mason!" I could only squeak my eyes going wide, I had known that Sasuke had probably moved them but I didn't expect to meet him at this cabin.

"We'll start your training tomorrow morning, do as you please till then." Sasuke told me slaughtering into another room and out of site.

"I'd like to say he's giving us some privacy to catch, but most likely he's gone to inspect the weapons he's got hoarded here." Spoke the Doctor shaking his head and beckoning me to sit down with him by the fire.

"How are you getting along with Sasuke, I doubt you talked much given how quiet you are." Doctor Mason enquired cheerfully with a good natured smile.

Oh we got along real well alright, especially on the train ride.

I'd probably kill the old man if I told him that.

"He's not exactly forthcoming with information, could you tell be a little more?" I asked, Doctor Mason was always a good source of information and it seemed one of his favourite things in life to explain something to someone.

"Of course dear, what were you wondering about?" replied the Doctor happily.

"The seals, everything about them." I answered, I had a lot of questions from reading Takeda's diary that I couldn't exactly ask without explaining my mild kleptomania.

"That's quite a bit of information Hinata, where to start I wonder, their powers I suppose would be easiest." Began Doctor Mason entering into what I had dubbed 'Lecture' mode.

"The lowest Rank seal is the D-rank, I don't think either you or Sasuke has one of them, they only boost one maybe two attributes, for example one might give A man the strength of three or four men. Usual warriors with only d-rank are referred to as having unfortunate proportions; for example a man with only boosted speed might destroy his body because he lacked the strength to withstand the speeds he could now move at." Explained Mason and I recognised the term he had used, Sasuke had called the man in the Subway someone of 'extremely unfortunate proportions'.

"Above that is C-rank seals, you and Sasuke have one of these, C-ranks are usually order seals given to all warriors of an order, they boost all the base attributes of a person depending on the orders tastes. Strength and Constitution, as a side effect of the greater strength you'll move faster but it's more of a pseudo speed boost. The C-rank also allows you to use Runes, but not many take them up." Continued Mason and I figured it was the seal on my arm he spoke of.

"B-rank seals boost the same as the C-rank at a lower rate and also boost your speed and dexterity normally as well as your rune potential. They also sometimes come with a scene boost, sight, sound ect. They can also carry control of an element or something similar. Again both you and Sasuke have one of these. Clan members and elite troops of the order have these seals." Mason drew a deep breath and coughed so we moved into the kitchen so he could get a drink of water.

"Sasuke can control two elements though." I interjected, Takeda had too but I couldn't exactly say that.

"Extremely rare, it's one of the things that marks him a genius Prince of the Uchiha." Answered Mason before clearing his throat to continue, I'd have interrupted him with questions of this apparent nobility but I decided to ask the bastard himself.

"A-rank seals are usually reserved for Clan or order leaders, usually clans are run by a number councillors or Kings. They're completely personal to the individual. You don't have one but Sasuke does." Continued the Doctor and I found myself wondering which one it was; probably the cobra or the one on his back.

But if Sasuke had one A, B and C what was the forth one.

"What can it do?" I asked.

"It doubles, maybe triples the effects of his other seals firstly, and it done something unusual to his immune system, some sort of mild regeneration power. I've seen him snap bones back into place and have it completely healed within a week. I think it made him more cunning too, more sinister and harsh. He keeps that seal very secretive though, I suspect he's ashamed of it for some reason, where or how he got it I've no idea he wouldn't tell me. That's all I know." Finished Doctor Mason and I understood Sasuke a little better than before.

These people had been hunting him and to defend himself he had to get a third seal, seemingly through a less than noble means and that seal effected his mind as well as his body. I could understand why he was so withdrawn.

"What about his fourth seal?" I asked causing Mason to raise an eyebrow.

"I wasn't aware he had one, I'm sorry I can't tell you more Hinata." Answered Doctor Mason surprised and it seemed curious.

"No you've been more than helpful, Doctor Mason." I thanked the man taking a small look around the room, I still hadn't heard from his wife or granddaughter and I began to wonder for a moment if perhaps Sasuke had split them up, whether to draw attackers from the child or to punish Mason for inconveniencing him who knew.

"They're in the nearby town picking up some supplies, they're late but I suspect that since I haven't heard Sasuke storm in complaining about his weapon cabinets being baby proofed yet, or the knifes he has hidden around the place being stored safely for that matter, he must have went to the town to see them home safely...or perhaps complain to my wife directly who knows." Explained Mason a knowing smile on his face.

"But why would that slow them down?" I asked curious.

"Well dare if Sasukes clothes are in the same state of disrepair as yours she probably took him shopping." The good Doctor laughed pointing at the torn fabric of the collar of my undershirt, I had hoped people would brush it off as the style but of course Mason would know better.

I could only blush.

"I always thought Sasuke quite the capable body guard, I wonder who on earth attacked you two." Chuckled Mason but the twinkle in his eye worried me, like he knew or at least suspected what had happened.

* * *

_She doesn't have any seals, I'm thankful for that._

_We've found someone who can care for our daughter, until we can escape from here anyway, Kenji agreed to come with us and my cynicism has started to clear somewhat._

_Yui had worried about telling him, they'd been growing apart for awhile now and I don't think she trusts him anymore, but maybe that's not it at all, she fears everything now._

_She broke down yesterday because she couldn't remember the day we met anymore._

_Kenji acted odd with me though, I sensed something odd in the way he interacted with me. He had grabbed my forearm and swore to protect _me_ and help _me_._

_He emphasised that it was for _me_ he'd fight quite heavily, and there was something in his expression._

_I still fear I'll forget this life, but the degradation has slowed, I've been re-reading my old diaries over and over._

_I refuse to lose my memories, no doing my best or putting up a fight nonsense I will win. I won't abandon my memories to the void._

_I discovered today that the degradation isn't natural, we're supposed to be given our true names at birth, that allows us to remember without forgetting our current life._

_But that makes us harder to manipulate, to exploit, I've read the files, chosen ones raped and abused until there unsealing for the amusement of someone high in statue._

_I am Takeda and I always will be._

* * *

And that's chapter five, I'm actually quite proud of myself for managing to keep up the regular updates(I know I know it's standard for other writers but that's the problem with creativity it's kinda hard to focus it and keep it from wondering off somewhere completely unrelated)

So I think I deserve plenty of reviews for that no? :D

Please Review!

R&R


	6. Chapter 6: Dark Demon

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Chapter Six;

* * *

_Today is a mixed blessing for me, of the kind that makes you wonder if there are such things as blessings in this life at all, only cruel twisted jokes played on us by those with more strength than me._

_If he existed then God was certainly one of those bullies._

_My Daughter was born today._

_She'll be moved as soon as possible, Kenji is going to take her somewhere safe while I...we catch up. It's been a week since Kenji completely forgot, his mind wiped clean, he doesn't answer to his name anymore and he can't remember any of the things he should._

_But he still seems to be my friend even if he's taken to using 'their' name for me._

_Yui's forgetting too, I managed to visit her today without my father noticing, she couldn't recognise me, it won't be long till she's just like Kenji and Masaka. _

_I feel so isolated._

_The final part of my blessing was my own degradation, it's suddenly halted I don't feel it draining my mind anymore at all._

_I have spent the last five years hoping for it to stop but now it seems to be an empty gift._

* * *

I had stayed up after Sasuke had shown me to my room to read through Takeda's increasingly heartbreaking diary, I knew Sasuke had something planned for me tomorrow and I'd probably need all the rest I could get so I had resolved to only read a couple of entries.

But when I had finished the last one and put away the diary I heard voices from outside my room, not really surprising considering my room was right next to the kitchen, the odd thing was that the voices sounded upset.

I couldn't help myself and quietly snuck over to listen better.

"So you haven't told her yet?" that was Doctor Mason's voice, he sounded kind of annoyed.

"It's not exactly the easiest thing to say you know." I heard Sasuke's deep voice rumble quietly.

"She still has to be told Sasuke." Responded Mason with an air of authority that surprised me, the gentle old man ordering around the most dangerous man I'd met in my life.

"I'll do it when the time is right." I heard a clatter that I couldn't identify anything about except for the sound being vaguely metallic in sound.

"Hinata mentioned that you seemed to have gained a new seal recently?" inquired Doctor Mason in a tight voice and I heard another sharp clang of metal.

"I fail to see how that's of any concern of yours Mason." I felt a shiver race up my spine from the edge I could now hear in the Uchiha's voice.

"Sasuke you know the risks of a new seal, I can help." Offered Mason and I heard Sasuke go quiet for an unusually long pause.

"Yes I know the risks Mason, far better than a greedy fool like you would. A cheap obsession with seal's isn't equivocal to actual firsthand experience with seals. There's nothing new or recent about this seal. It was a necessity and I won't explain myself to the likes of you." The coldness in the Uchiha's voice seemed to grasp hold of my insides for a moment and I felt direly afraid; since he'd awoken my seals I'd been finding it increasingly difficult to distance myself from him; but his tone of voice right now, it made me want to run miles.

"Sasuke-" I heard Mason begin only to be cut off a final rather loud bang as a metal object was presumably slammed down on the counter top roughly.

"Mason, I am not above killing you. If you continue down this line of questioning then I will prove it to you." Spoke the Uchiha before I heard several footsteps and a door open and slam shut quickly.

"You can come out now Hinata." Called Doctor Mason in a loud whisper the moment I had stepped away from the door to return to bed, being caught however I was forced to open my room door and confront Doctor Mason instead.

"I'm sorry Doctor Mason I didn't mean to listen in on your conversation." I honestly was too, I'd have done the same thing if I were given another chance but I truly did regret the means to my end.

"Of course you meant to dear, I'm not angry though and I suspect Sasuke was too distracted to notice you there." Answered Mason in a very matter of factual tone of voice.

"Ah I suppose...Sasuke was very," I began my question but I wasn't quite certain how to actually go about asking it, I was still quite shocked at the hostility that the Uchiha had shown to the kindly old Doctor.

"You shouldn't look too harshly down on him for his behaviour Hinata, it's not entirely his fault." Responded the Doctor without needing to hear the end of my question.

"What do you mean?" I asked, the way Mason had answered seemed particular, how was his actions not his responsibility.

"It's the seals Hinata dear, I can't speak for certain but I believe that above only being physical that they also have a mental effect on they're holder's. I suspect that the snake seal on Sasuke's arm improved his mental clarity and capacity but more than that they made him more cunning in a cruel dark fashion . The effects of that fourth seal I can only guess at." Doctor Mason explained quietly and I found myself pondering on his theory.

There was the obvious connection I'd felt to Sasuke since he realised my seals but bar that I had noticed little else different in my mind or reasoning, it was a frightening thought that my mind may change overnight; but perhaps it had something to do with Sasuke's seal rank, Sasuke wasn't someone whom should have had an A rank seal so maybe then it was a drawback to getting one however he did so.

Maybe I should ask him about it.

It was only then that I realised what the metal object's I'd heard being moved were.

"What are these for?" I asked understandably alarmed, there were guns of every type covering all the surfaces of the room, knifes and even full length sword's were also present as well as a box full of tennis balls; which looked quiet odd and out of place.

"Sasuke's usual inspection of his weaponry, though I think he may plan on instructing you to use some of this stuff, though it's not exactly my thing." Answered Mason looking at the various weapons in the same vaguely distraught way a strict Christian mother may look at her son holding hands with another boy.

He was a healer, I reminded myself, soft-hearted he wouldn't be able to look at these weapons without imagining the horrors they could, and in Sasuke's hands would, inflict on other human beings.

With some surprise and worry I reminded myself that not a week ago I'd been on a healers path and had been soft hearted, but I couldn't think of myself that way anymore; in the subway I had struck the small man with as much force as I could muster and I'd hoped he wouldn't get up and I'd taken an odd satisfaction in Sasuke over powering and hurting the large man.

I made a mental note of mentality change number two.

* * *

"_Get back here bitch!" shouted one of the dark garbed men hurling two over sized shuriken at me, I managed to avoid the blades but had failed to notice the wires attached to the blades, when my attacker gave a tug on the wire I was soon entangled in the wire._

"_You made a good run at it but no one evades us forever whore." I heard the man call triumphantly and saw him draw a blade from behind his back, I struggled redundantly unable to break free of the tough wire, I'd used up to much energy on...something; it could have saved me but I was too tired to use it._

_I had only seconds before the man would kill me and I could only hope Sasuke managed to evade his captors and get away._

_The man was standing above me now and had raised his blade up to strike my deathblow however just before it could come I saw a streak of familiar blue, the lightning had formed into a blade and that blade now pierced my attackers heart._

_My first thought was that Sasuke had dispatched his pursuers and come to my aid after feeling the distress from our bond, that was incorrect however._

_I saw Sasuke fighting desperately against my attackers twin, a deep fresh cut ran its way across his chest, I realised what must have actually happened. Sasuke had sensed the peril and made his way to me as soon as I ran out of energy, roughly ten minutes ago; I had been running since, he came to my aid then still fighting and dodging his attacker. Seeing me about to be killed Sasuke made the huge mistake of turning his attention from his own opponent the launch a surprise attack at mine._

_It was lucky he only got the cut, deep and dangerous as it was, and the other man had failed to kill him._

_Desperately I wiggled my way towards my fallen adversaries knife hoping to use it to cut the wire and free myself._

_I was almost there when._

* * *

"Wake up Hinata." Spoke the gruff voice I knew to be Sasukesas he shook me awake, I wondered what had happened to waking a girl with a kiss as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I guess only fairy tale characters are so lucky.

"What time is it?" I asked stifling a yawn and following the Uchiha into the kitchen, I'd slept in my day clothes last night, after the incident on the train I had only the clothes I wore on my back at the moment.

Black skinny jeans, a purple cardigan and of course beneath that a tank top Tenten had bought me; it was tight enough to border on the obscene and had a small cartoon of a woman in leather holding a whip on the front, needless to say I kept my cardigan completely buttoned up.

"Just a little past dawn." Answered the dark man as he set about making what I hoped was a particularly yummy breakfast, I took a seat at the table and watched him move about quietly.

He had traded the heavy duster and jeans for a light grey hoody and a pair of loose fitting black pants. He seemed ready to go for a brisk run in the woods and I quietly prayed that he didn't want me to join him.

I hated jogging...passionately.

"Why so early?" I asked Sasuke trying half heartedly to keep the whine from my voice, Sasuke had seemed like such a night person.

"I'm an insomniac, quite common for people with seals actually, I'll sleep for a few hours in the evening so this is the best time really." Answered Sasuke grabbing two eggs from the fridge and automatically preparing them in my favourite way without asking.

"So are you going to teach me some stuff about the seals today?" I asked as Sasuke set a glass of orange juice in front of me.

"A little. You'll remember your full abilities over the course of the next month but in the mean time I'll be giving you a crash course just in case." He answered over the hissing of the pan, I wondered what the in case was but quickly decided against it.

I didn't want to imagine what could be dangerous enough for Sasuke to need help handling.

"Remember? Do you mean like an ancestors knowledge is passed down to me or something?" I asked curious, from reading Takeda's diary it was the best theory I could come up with.

"In a manner of speaking." Answered Sasuke curtly.

There was a few moments silence before Sasuke sighed in frustration and paused in his work, he didn't turn to me but I could sense a tightness in him; the same nervous tension from the night he released me seals.

"The seals aren't passed down Hinata, their eternal." Spoke Sasuke in a deep whisper the tension in his shoulders visible.

"The memories you gain are your own Hinata. They're memories of a past life...several lives actually, you'll remember how to fight and all of your lives after your seals had been awakened, though some memories dull and fade over time; the unimportant ones mostly." Answered Sasuke an unnatural anger and sense of despair in his voice.

I felt my breath catch at the implications of his words, was he claiming to be immortal.

"Can you die?" I asked.

"Yes, the same ways as normal people do, blunt trauma, blood loss, decapitation. But when we die we're born again, same looks, personality and seals." He answered, he still hadn't turned around yet.

"Please look at me Sasuke!" It came out as a harsh whisper but I needed him to look at me, there was something to familiar about the scene for me; distraught and Sasuke refusing to look at me.

This was a lot to take in, to accept.

And as fake or unnatural as it may be the bond I felt to this austere dark man was the only thing I had to lean on and I needed to lean on something.

He finally turned and I met his gaze with mine, as always there was the rush of comfort I craved.

"Those memories...will they replace the ones I have now." I asked hesitantly I wasn't sure I wanted to know. I was already sure of the answer, in the same minute I was going to be told I was immortal and that in exchange I'd forget my memories and lose the only self that I knew.

"Now why would you think that?" He asked his voice lowering to baritone as suspicion lined his words.

I was about to confess to snooping around his things, taking and reading his grandfather's diaries, but luckily he continued before I did.

"Yes it's a rule of thumb in the clans and orders for that to happen true, it's done by naming someone with a seal by a false name. When the seals are awakened they seep into the mind to awaken your past memories, the memories under the false name are removed. It makes the person easier to manipulate, I've heard stories of torture and abuse to the one's still unsealed whose memories would be wiped, people working with and protecting someone who had raped them as a child." Explained Sasuke a clinical detachment from me.

I couldn't share his detachment and felt a tightness constrict my heart.

"But you were given your true name at birth...so you won't be forgetting anything." Relief flooded through my being, I had been so worried since I began reading Takeda's diaries, that I would forget Tenten and Ino, growing up in the orphanage, so many memories that had seemed trivial the day before were suddenly more precious to me than gold.

"So I'm going to remember my past lives?" I asked finally beginning to get a grips on the situation, I was taking a more pragmatic view of what I'd been told now that I was no longer going to forget my life, so what if I remembered a past life; what harm could it do to me.

I felt my lips quirk into a gentle smile I directed at Sasuke as he set down my breakfast in front of me.

"So you've remembered you past lives then Sasuke?" I asked curious, I wondered at the stories he might now be able to tell, first hand stories of the great moments in history, there was a nagging feeling that I was missing or overlooking some connection that was important, I put it to the back of my mind.

"Yes, why do you ask?" he asked sitting next to me, an eyebrow quirked elegantly at my question.

"Just curious, you must have some interesting stories." I answered innocently.

"You wouldn't want to hear my stories." He answered gruffly, I mistakenly believed he was implying that I wouldn't be interested or his stories were simply boring.

"Try me." I dared him smirking uncharacteristically, I expected some of his tension to disappear but if anything his jaw only seemed to tense more and his discomfort became ever the more apparent.

"I've...seen thousands of people die, most of whom met there end at my own hands, murdered in cold blood. My best friend has died in my arms forty-seven times and I've died in his thirty-nine times; One of those times I was actually the cause of his death too and vice -versa. I've been tortured more times than I can remember...it's part of the reason for my insomnia. So many times I've awakened to groups of people I know love me dearly but I can't even remember their names. I saw a woman I loved dearly, a demon like me, die...permanently; Helpless I watched the light fade from her eyes." He spoke trying to fake detachment but not quite manage it, I could hear the emotion rising with his words, one stood out stronger than the rest though; pain.

He stood up taking his dish to the sink.

"I found those men many years later, and I killed them in the permanent way, it was a crime against Konoha of the highest order but I didn't care at the time. With the help of a certain man I harvested they're souls and created this seal." Continued the Uchiha raising his left arm and I tried not to feel the revulsion that threatened to overwhelm me, I was conflicted in my feelings; I knew that these men seemed to have deserved their faith but still, more than suspect I knew deep in my core that what Sasuke had done had been a crime against nature.

That was how someone gained an A-Rank seal.

"It isn't easy to perform the true killing of a demon, it takes a lot of time and a particularly impressive knowledge of seals. Sealing their souls takes an even greater knowledge. But time is a powerful thing and I learned to love again." Continued the Uchiha, I had lost my appetite suddenly and followed his example of cleaning my plate up.

I felt numb and could only listen as he answered my ultimate question; who was Sasuke Uchiha, murderer, lover, friend.

"My second love descended into depression, suffered horribly at the hands of our pursuers and lost the will to live. After her death for a time I became nothing more than a tool for revenge." Sasuke seemed to finish as he led me outside into the crisp morning air.

"I'm sorry." I whispered finally finding my voice.

"For what?" he asked in response seeming to have reverted to his minimalist answers.

"Your loss I guess." Or maybe asking at all, but that hardly seemed an appropriate answer.

"Hn." That was all I got by way of a response, before he began running me through stretches and exercises with only the small occasional word of advice or correction.

* * *

And another chapter done, feel free to ask any questions if you're having trouble understanding anything, though Sasuke's history is being left intentionally vague more will be revealed in time but as a short summery, not in a strictly chronological order I offer you my faithful readers.

He had a lover who was murdered by a group of individuals.

At a later time he got help from an enemy of Konoha's to take revenge on them and used their soul's to create the seal on his arm; the snake one.(No prizes for figuring out who the enemy was ;) )

He was in love with another woman while on the run from Konoha who suffered emotional and physical injuries from assassins.

Sasuke set about actively going against Konoha at this point.

Also just to iron it out Sasuke, Hinata and anyone else like them are somewhat immortal, if there killed through regular means(shot, stabbed ect) their body dies but their souls are reborn. Their new body also inherits their seals and after they're seals are realised they regain their old memories. There is however a way to permanently kill people with seals.

I also hinted at how the seals are created in this chapter. Feed back is welcome.

R&R


	7. Chapter 7: Dreaming Angel

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Chapter Seven;

* * *

"Sit." Commanded the Uchiha curtly nodding his head towards a tree stump nearby.

After making me run through several exercises, which I found oddly didn't tire me out as much as I had expected they should; in fact they had barely winded me at all, Sasuke had handed me a small hand gun and proceeded to show me how to disassemble, clean and reassemble the gun.

He had promptly ignored my squeaks for fear when he first handed me the weapon and when I fired it.

The Uchiha had then set up several targets for me to practise on, with my heightened dexterity I was able to get bull's -eyes on every shot after only a short time. Sasuke wasn't content with that however and I soon found myself firing at moving targets, then running and firing at targets and finally dodging tennis balls while running through an obstacle course, Sasuke was very kindly throwing the tennis balls and unfortunately he was a very good shot.

Needless to say I was happy for the rest.

"I'd prefer to tell you about your own legacy, as one of the Daughters of Heihatchi Hyuuga, a princess to one of Konoha's most powerful clans. But I don't know that story. So I'll tell you mine. There's no practical application for this knowledge but maybe it'll help you understand our world somewhat better." Explained Sasuke brushing a fallen bang from his eyes, I sat cross legged on the stump ready to listen diligently.

"Madara Uchiha was the founder of the Uchiha clan, just as Heihatchi Hyuuga founded the Hyuuga clan and many of the other old ones also formed their own clans and followings." Started Sasuke and I already had a question, hesitantly I raised my arm so that I could voice my confusion.

"The old ones are the first of our kind, we don't know how they were born, they gave their children seals so that their families would have abilities akin to their own and that they would live eternally. The children of the founder are considered royalty and given their clan seal by the founder personally. Others are born into the clan too, the children were of the royalty are not themselves considered royalty but commoners and are hence given a different lower ranked seal instead." Answered Sasuke and not for the first time I wondered if one of his abilities was mind reading.

"So there you have the basic layout, Founder, royalty and Commoners. In the Uchiha clan like many others the founder quickly bored of actually running and administrating their clan and so he left such activities to his children, in most cases the Uchiha's included just the sons and in rare case only their daughters ran the clans, usually for about ten years each head ruled before handing it to the next sibling. In the Uchiha clan this led to an interesting problem." Spoke Sasuke taking a seat nearby and withdrawing a small piece of metal from his Weapons bag.

"Madara bestowed an A-rank seal to the family head, it was transferable and hence it came with the title of being clan head. He always enjoyed playing people against each other, I've always wondered if he hadn't completely expected and wanted what had happened." Sasuke mused mostly to himself it seemed, I thought it odd how personally he seemed to know this man or old one as he said.

"A group of half a dozen of the oldest royalty decided they didn't want to share the power with their younger siblings, mainly the A-rank seal given to the current head of the clan. So they extricated Madara from the clan and kept the power in the control of the six of them exclusively." Continued Sasuke seemingly examining the metal with great interest. For the first time I noticed that whatever he had been wearing on his left hand was now missing.

A wedding ring, I wondered absently before deciding to pay attention to Sasuke's story instead of conjuring up wild fantasies.

"I'm the last known son of Madara Uchiha. But you should keep the story in mind when thinking about our kind. Power corrupts and the clans are powerful, the orders indefinably more so. For all their strength the Uchiha only holds one seat of twenty in the Konoha order." Finished Sasuke, very effectively reinforcing my concerns of our chances against these people.

"Anyway, you've improved your aim enough for the moment, it's time for the next lesson." Sasuke announced standing and stretching.

Then he did something impressive. With a flick on his thump the strap of metal flew into the air, on its way back to the ground Sasuke struck his hand out as if to catch the scrap however it never reached his hand.

About two inches above his hand the metal scrap froze in mid-air, I felt my mouth open in awe.

"How?" I asked amazed.

"It's just a demonstration. Your abilities are catered towards the Fire(1) element, every Hyuuga's is, and it's one of your rare abilities to manipulate objects outside of your body like this. I've seen bullets stopped in mid-air and invisible blades of air created capable of cutting through iron." Answered Sasuke relaxing his powers and allowing the metal to drop.

"So you're Fire too?" I asked.

"Yes but I inherited the Uchiha Fire, whereas your Fire allows you to control the wind mine allows me to create fire, Fire is the common element of Konoha, though it the forms in which it manifests itself vary a great deal." He answered with a smirk.

"Then if you're not using the wind how did you do that?" I asked watching his smugness visibly increase.

"I also possess the Metal element. It's due to the fact that my mother had control of that element. I managed my little trick through magnetism. Though that does mean that I'm strictly limited to metal objects, you wouldn't have any such limitation." Answered the Uchiha proudly.

"Your mother had a seal too?" I asked curious, up to this point I had kind of been working under the assumption that Sasuke had simply fallen for the sky one day, in his plain dark clothes glaring at something and had proceeded to wonder off somewhere to work up a load of sexually tension with people that he'd continually ignore.

"Yeah it's quite rare actually, not that she had a seal but that she was of a different order, he always did say she'd been his favourite." He had mumbled the last part so I couldn't be sure what he's said.

"What was she like?" I asked, it was nice; hearing him sound so human.

"I heard she was strong." Answered the Uchiha, seemingly not bothered for the first time this morning about the pause in practice.

"That's all?" I asked, I was an orphan so it seemed wasteful as far as I was concerned to know so little.

"She died a year after I was born, in the permanent way. Strength is all the clan ever cared about so that's all I was told. It was when they were banishing Madara though again I'm not sure of the details. I'm not sure why they kept me alive; they certainly must have regretted it a great deal over the years." He sounded oddly pleased at the idea of the trouble he'd obviously caused his kin.

I almost told him I was sorry again, before I recalled his earlier reaction to the same words, plus I had never appreciated peoples 'I'm sorry for your lose' lines myself.

We were both silent for a moment.

"Tell me about your friends?" requested the Uchiha surprisingly sitting in the ground about a meter away and lying back tucking both hands behind him head.

He looked unusually relaxed and at ease, which threw me off trusting him right now.

"Well my closest friends are Ino and Tenten..." I went on to explain how I met the two of them, I had worked part-time in the flower shop Ino's folks owned when I was sixteen and I'd met Tenten in detention at school the one time I had been sent there, a boy had groped me and I had broken his nose. I told him funny stories about our adventures together and the embarrassing ones too.

Mind you I only told him the embarrassing stories where it was Ino or Tenten getting embarrassed not me. At some point, around the Ino and the Banana story he had moved his right arm and draped it over his eyes, blocking the sunlight I assumed.

For a moment I thought he'd fallen asleep and I wondered had my narrative been that boring, then I felt an odd sense of excitement that he'd let his guard down so much around me.

Slowly and silently I crawled making my way over to Sasuke's reclined form.

I finally reached him and I felt my heart rate sky rocket.

I reached out carefully towards him.

The last time we'd touched had been on the train and I found myself aching for it now, by now I was afraid the noise of my heartbeat alone would wake up the man.

Suddenly his right hand shot out with the speed and accuracy of a snake and grabbed my wrist, I screamed and if it hadn't been for his grip on me I probably would have jumped a mile.

Our eyes met and he sighed deeply.

"You shouldn't do that." He whispered as I stared wide eyed at him, his eyes had turned red.

"Why not?" I asked in a quiet voice, what was so wrong with me wanting to feel my his skin, stroke his cheek.

"Because my seals will kill you." He answered releasing his hold on me.

"How?" I demanded not backing down and trying to crawl closer to him, I didn't believe him.

Or maybe I just didn't want to believe him.

"If we were intimate," I blushed brightly at his choice of words.

"I'd give over myself to you completely, we'd become one and so would our seals however briefly. If we were of the same seal rank it wouldn't be a problem, but we're not so you body would be overstressed by our seals joining. It is not a pleasant way to die." The way he spoke it sounded like the voice of experience and not just here say.

"Take a couple of hours to rest and get something to eat, I've got some things to do." He stood and grabbed his bag of weapons walking further into the woods, I guessed he might be planning to do some training of his own and I was tempted to follow and spy on him.

Hunger got the better of me however and I made my way towards the cabin instead.

* * *

"_What are you doing here?" I heard my voice call frostily, the man I had directed my words to stood with his back to me several feet away, there was something odd about his clothing; it appeared extremely old fashioned._

_I took note of my surroundings and realised I stood on a deck in some exotic garden, there were beautiful hues of red purple and yellow from the gardens flowers and a light snow covered the grass and branches of the nearby trees._

"_Watching you." Rumbled the deep voice of the man, he looked somewhat familiar but I couldn't place him for some reason; an odd mental block plagued my mind._

"_I don't want you anywhere near me." I responded fiercely a deep resentment in my voice I didn't quite understand the origin of._

"_..." He didn't answer and somehow that only proved to infuriate me all the more._

"_What did we do to you? Haven't you hurt my family and me enough?" I asked my voice raising a pitch to sound extremely distraught, and yet there was still a fog clouding my mind that prevents me from understanding why I seemed to hate this man so much._

"_That's not my intention." He answered, his voice was still annoyingly blank, I wanted to shake him to effect him somehow, the unshakable bastard had to feel something of my pain I decided._

"_Even still that's the end result you bastard...she loved you and she died because of you. You took her from me is that not enough you bastard? What more do you want?" I ranted and raved accusing him and yet he said nothing at all, no complaint or defence, he obviously just didn't care._

_I stormed over to him shouting louder, demanding he answer for his injustices against me but he remained silent. I grabbed his shoulder roughly planning to spin him and force him to acknowledge my words._

"_I hate you Sasuke Uchiha you bastard!" and I stared at his face through my own tears and I could see the redness outlining his eyes and a single solitary tear trailing its way down his cheek._

_He had felt something._

* * *

"Hinata dear! Are you alright?" I shook my head and brought my hand up to massage the bridge of my nose between my eyes, that had been a peculiar daydream, I looked over to the source of the noise to lock eyes with Mrs Masons own worried pair.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just zoned out for a moment that's all. I'm sorry if I caused you to worry." I answered the woman shaking off the sudden nausea I felt, I remembered now; I had been helping Mrs Mason prepare some food when I had slipped into that odd daydream.

"Perhaps you should sit down dear, you don't look well." I decided to take the older women's advice and took a seat in an arm chair in front of the fire, tiredly I rubbed my eyes trying to will away my growing headache.

I wasn't having an easy time of it.

I felt my mind swim and a wave of nausea hit me hard.

* * *

_I glanced around_ _cautiously at my new surroundings, I seemed to be in some sort of ancient courtroom; symbols that I couldn't recognise covered the walls of the room. At the forefront of the room a group of twenty people sat on decorative chairs, a different banner with a symbol hung behind them and I assumed to announced their authority to anyone with the proper knowledge._

_Eighteen men and two women...'Konoha's council' I heard a voice whisper in my mind._

_A young woman stood before the group, her back bent unnaturally I realised that the hunched way that she stood wasn't her natural posture, I noticed the heavy chains and cuffs locking the women to the floor, the chain was cut too short for even the relatively short woman to stand straight._

_It seemed an unusually cruel and arrogant way to treat a prisoner, to force them into a bow of humility and submission against their will. But from where I stood I could make out the girls eyes, almost a pure white except for the tint of lilac, they shone fiercely with resilient light which was anything but submissive, I felt an odd pride for the woman._

_One of the men shared the same white eyes as the women but I passed it little heed, I was too busy trying to fathom what the angelic woman's crime had been._

_The man with the same eyes rose with a sweeping graceful flourish, he eyed the girl coldly and cleared his throat audibly, to garner even more attention to himself._

"_Before I announce our judgement with the blessing of my fellow council members I wish to announce that you are no longer of the Hyuuga clan. You are no longer welcome in our clan and are henceforth striped of all the associated rights." Spoke the man and I heard several gasps from the crowd around be. I guessed it was a particularly harsh punishment._

"_As for the charges against you for breaking one of Konoha's most sacred laws, the use of a forbidden Seraphim rune, we find you unaccountably guilty...There is no circumstance that permits your actions." Continued the man drawing even more gasps of surprise from the crowd._

_I heard whispers fill the room._

'_Ridge and strict as ever, a strong council indeed.'_

'_No mercy or leniency even for a Hyuuga princess.'_

'_Serves her right.'_

_And I felt an odd sickness in my stomach as I realised that those startled gasps had been of happiness, they had believed that the girl would get off on account of her social standing._

_And yet I felt the need to scream in rage, something connected me to this girl and I couldn't stand the thought of this injustice being visited upon her._

"_You are to be executed by way of the Death runes, the ritual will begin at sunrise tomorrow. Do you have any last requests?" Asked the man, there was no mercy, no compassion in the man's gaze only contempt and un-masked animosity._

_I realised I hated that man._

"_Can..can I see Sasuke one last time?" asked the girl in a cracked voice, somehow I could clearly see her chapped lips and I realised she must have been highly dehydrated, they were denying her water I suspected._

"_That's Lord Uchiha to you scum!" spat one of the other members of the council._

"_If the man himself agrees to it you will be allowed a small meeting." Answered the white eyed Councillor._

_I wanted to run to the girl, free her from her imprisonment and ask her how she knew Sasuke, what was so important to that he would be her last request._

* * *

I came to in the armchair just as the sun began to set, I quickly became aware of Sasuke sitting in the armchair across from me reading quietly, a fire had been lit in the grate to our left and I marvelled at how the flames light danced across his face.

"You're awake." Observed the dark man without ever raising his head to acknowledge me. I realised he had returned to his old style of clothes, the pitch black jumper and the plain blue jeans, with the occasional rip or tear I suspected was not simply part of there design.

"I-I..." I struggled to find the words I wanted to say to him.

"You've regained some memories." I wasn't certain whether he was stating a fact or asking a question so I simply nodded slowly at him.

"They won't all make sense right away, you won't remember things in any particular order." He spoke the firelight accentuated the darkness in his eyes and I found myself drawn to them.

"Did we know each other?" It would tell me whether what I'd see had been memories or some demented dream.

"Yes." He answered turning his own gaze to the fire as it hissed dangerously, like some living thing preparing to defend itself, I realised I needed more to confirm my memories.

"Did I hate you?" I asked carefully, my mind was running through possible explanations and excuses.

"We knew each other for a long time Hinata, or I should say we were aware of each other for a long time, I have no way of knowing how you felt about me during that time before we began spending time together properly. The time we spent as companions and comrades however...I can say for certain that you hated me to begin with. And at the end I believe you hated me too." He answered his eyes locked on the fire, I guessed that was my memory; the one where I had shouted at him was when we became 'companions' as he put it, or perhaps shortly before.

"I don't hate you now." I whispered, willing him to believe me, even without the bond I don't think I could have hated him, he hadn't done anything to deserve my hatred.

"You will." And he looked at me with the most heartbreaking smile, I hadn't seen anyone smile like that in all my life and I wasn't sure how to describe it. Despite the sorrow I felt it wasn't a smile used to cover up pain.

No, it was too bitter. The smile of a man who wanted his love to be happy but knew that the only way for that to happen was with someone else, somewhere else.

It was a smile of bitter resignation.

The only thing I couldn't figure out was why that smile was directed at me.

"What is the Seraphim rune?" I asked, mostly as a change of subject, Sasuke was the only person I had ever known who looked sadder when he smiled than when he scowled or frowned.

"It's not actually a rune but a class of rune." Answered the Uchiha turning his gaze back towards the fire and I found myself relieved that I was no longer the focus of its intensity.

"What are they so?" I asked.

"A forbidden form of rune, they're incredibly powerful. They were made a crime because the clan heads feared them so, A rune master or lord with only a B-rank seal would be able to overcome or at least match a leader with their A-rank seal." He answered raking his left hand through his hair.

"One double's your seals output for a short time but it risks destroying the body by overwhelming it with energy and power, the body will also be near crippled for a period after the runes use." Explained the Uchiha in his lecture tone.

"Another boosts the users mental capacity, but causes memory lose and occasional crippling of the mental facilities afterwards. A third makes the users body capable of regeneration from even the greatest wounds, but ironically will leave the user with severe internal injuries after the rune wears off. There are about a dozen in total each with a tremendous power and horrid price." Finished the Uchiha, turning his gaze back to me.

I explained my second vision to him.

"Do you remember who she is?" he asked me, and without knowing how or why, I knew it was the woman who had asked to see him before she died.

I shook my head quietly.

Actually she must have been a relative of mine I realised now that my mind had cleared of the fog that prevented me from reaching the same conclusion when I experienced the memory.

I decided to leave that pondering for later.

"You said rune master or lord. What did you mean?" I asked curious.

"I suppose there's no better time to start your basic rune training. That's two of the ranks. It's novice, apprentice, journeyman, master, it ascending order of ability. A rune lord is a master with a title in an order or clan. You'd have to be master level to use a Seraphim Rune." Answered Sasuke before he started into more theory on the rune technique's, he showed me the basic runes for closing a small wound, purifying water, binding a limb and renewing metal.

He demonstrated each one quite impressively managing to make an ancient rusted pan look almost new.

He explained that the effectiveness of the rune was based on several factors, the willpower, experience of the user and the strength of his energy...which I'll admit I didn't quite understand myself.

* * *

It's the Feng Shui elements I'm using so. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.

Sorry for the delay I was bogged down with exams, well almost it for this year, I'll be realising one more chapter then taking a two week break for Christmas. If you've got any questions or thoughts please review I do quite enjoy them.

R&R


	8. Chapter 8: Fragile Demon

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Chapter Eight;

* * *

_I've steeled my reserve, I can't take Yui with me._

_Unlike Kenji she's nothing like her old self, the Doctor's, if you can call them that, say it's because she was pregnant when her awakening completed its final phase. With her hormones unstable there are some unusual particularities in her personality distorting the way she acted._

_So it was my fault._

_I don't have time to dwell on such thoughts though, there's only one course of action left for me unless I suddenly decide to fail my daughter too._

_Kenji has taken her from the hospital, it had been the best plan we'd been able to come up with, the Clan hadn't taken long to track down the hospital that I had taken Yui too._

_Thanks to several bribes and after hour visits to change records I managed to make it appear as if my Daughter had been adopted, the clan head met with me but consented that it had been my choice and they would respect my decision on the matter._

_I suspect that they had only given in so easy because my Daughter hadn't had any seals, if she'd had even one seal I'd bet that they would have tortured the answers they sought from me, and if they suspected he was involved, Kenji too._

_So I'll escape from under the shadow of this vial order, Kenji and I will seek out a new life with my daughter, my degradation has stopped and I've got something to live for._

_I'm filled with horror that I'm planning to abandon Yui but...there's nothing I can do for her, except protect our child._

_I wish I had another choice, but if I do then I haven't been able see it._

* * *

I was awoken in the middle of the night by the rumble of Thunder, even as a child I had never been afraid of the thunder or the lightning not like the other children.

It was funny, spiders, height and clowns. I had had every other kind of fear and phobia. Although even without being actually afraid of Thunder storms I still found myself restless whenever they struck.

And that's what caused me to wonder around the cabin at night, I had planned to get myself a drink of water from the kitchen or maybe some warm milk but on my way I had noticed a flickering light outside on the front porch, naturally I had decided to explore.

Or maybe it's just because I felt myself drawn to him, things were always so muddled when they involved Sasuke, I was never sure if I was actually making choices for myself or if he was somehow manipulating me with runes or something else I didn't completely understand.

"Can't sleep?" came his low dawdled question as I stepped out onto the porch, he sat near a candle that gave off just enough light to read by; a large tome with a worn leather cover sat on his lap.

"Yeah." I answered as he gestured for me to sit by him, I happily obliged him and took a seat to his right, we sat in an awkward silence for a couple of minutes.

"Why are you out here on your own?" I asked, ignoring the questions I really wanted to ask, ignoring the urge to show him that I didn't hate him, that I couldn't.

By way of answer he simply raised his left hand, I almost jumped when a spark of electricity suddenly burst to life and danced along his fingers from his knuckles to his finger tips.

"Oh right, that makes sense I suppose." I responded cursing mentally, this wasn't a good start, the dark haired man clearly wasn't feeling very talkative.

"W-why do you think I hated you?" I asked deciding to simply go for it, just because I was timid didn't mean I had any great skills when it came to the subtlety department.

The man next to me growled lowly in his throat never moving his eyes from the storm before us, for several short moments that somehow felt like an eternity there was only the sound of the rains rhythmic attack on the rafters and the Thunders booming war cry.

"You said it, often enough." He answered his tone of voice crackling with a dark energy.

"But what was the reason?" I pushed further, I needed to know the answer.

"You'll have to remember that yourself." He answered opening his book and pointedly ignoring me.

"Who was she...the other Hyuuga girl, the one who asked to see you before she was executed." I asked, he had asked me the same question and I hadn't been able to answer it.

"To which one of us?" he asked a flash of lightning lighting up his neutral expression, it seemed to linger in his eyes though the lightning, it seemed an odd question but I decided to write it off as another of Sasuke's quirks.

"To you." I answered my voice only a whisper above the sound of the rain.

He laughed dryly, the bitterness causing me to grimace for a moment.

"She died because of me...for perhaps it's more accurate to say she died for me, though I couldn't tell you why. She was the first woman I ever loved. I've lived for more life times than I care to remember but despite all that time I only had six short months with her...it's unpleasantly ironic." He spoke watching the lightning dance through the sky in an almost obsessive manner.

"She didn't like either the summer or the winter but preferred the autumn, not too warm or too cold and full of beautiful colours. We met in autumn. Her favourite colour was royal blue and she had a sweet tooth, though she kept that quiet from everyone but those she trusted. You should have seen the struggles she'd go through to force herself not to order a sugar encrusted desert when another family member was around for a meal. I think she thought it would seem childish." He let out a low chuckle barely audible over the noise of the pelting rain, I didn't want to interrupt this transient moment Sasuke seemed to be having, I suspected he was getting caught up in his memories, it was a pleasantly human side of him to witness.

"The lightning storms like this one always seemed to fill her with such wonder and awe, Konoha was the order associated with Fire so we naturally tended to avoid lightning storms. Electric hotbeds like that attracted those bonded to Metal, and it was better for us to avoid an area with a thunder storm, avoiding a fight with them in their element was wise." He continued his eyes taking a glassier hue.

"It's not so much of a problem these days as electricity is easily available. Even the biggest energy junkies can simply surround themselves with electronics. I've never personally felt any kind of cravings myself; comes from the dual nature I suppose." He explained, likely to put me at ease that we weren't going to be attacked by 'energy junkies' anytime soon.

"What was her name?" I asked, having to repeat my question to be heard over the thunders deep rumble.

"I think it's better that you remember that on your own Hinata." He answered sitting back in his chair and opening his book once again, I figured that I had got all the information I was going to get out of him but I stuck around for a couple of more minutes, I told myself it was so I could ask another of the questions that gnawed at the back of my mind but I knew I really just wanted to spend some more time with the odd Uchiha.

"I'm gonna try to get some more sleep, good night Sasuke." I rose and made my way back into the cabin, out of the corner of my eye I saw Sasuke give a small wave of dismissal, if he had said anything too it had been drowned out by the thunder.

For some reason I felt safer than I had in the last few days with the lightning dancing outside the cabin.

* * *

"_Hinata?" he asked, apparently surprised to see me._

"_What do you want?" I heard myself ask, no small amount of venom packed into my words, the man's features were blurry though as was the rest of my surroundings; I could tell he was tall though, with dark hair._

"_Your eyes haven't healed yet." He stated it with conviction but I could still hear the slight question behind his words, he knew they hadn't healed he was really asking how bad they still were._

"_What's it to you?" I asked heatedly scrunching my nose up and glaring at the man, or in his general direction at least, I felt myself think 'it'd be easier to hate him if he'd stop acting like he cared'._

"_Your eyes can't have recovered this quickly, you'll be killed or worse yet captured." He spoke his own voice taking on a harsher tone now._

"_They've fully recovered Uchiha, not that it's any of your business." I growled at the man in response to his prodding's._

"_What colour are my eyes right now?" he asked the tone of his voice painfully condescending._

"_R-red." There was a brief moment of hesitation before I answered in an old uncomfortable stutter._

"_Wrong Hinata." Sasuke sighed disappointed._

"_Well I don't have much of a choice Uchiha, we're trying to rebuild our credibility in Konoha, myself especially, this is a risk I have to take." I answered a noticeable snarl in my voice._

"_Stay close to me then." He whispered under his breath as our squad leader entered the room, I felt my breath catch, dozens of scathing replies raced through my mind but all of them died before they could reach the tip of my tongue._

"_Why?" I asked in a whisper even lower than his, I wasn't even sure if he heard me._

"_Because." He didn't seem interested in elaborating and I didn't feel like asking again, it had been three months since her death, three months of daily check up's and a week of constant companionship while I was recovering from surgery to correct an old injury to my eyes, an operation I suspected he'd played a part in negotiating from my brothers, as they had refused me the same request in the past during days of greater wealth for the clan._

_I still hated him, I hated him so much, I was just...I was learning to live with him that's all._

* * *

A week passed by uneventfully, Sasuke would drag me up early at the morning and make me practise shooting and various other skills I hoped I wouldn't have to use anytime soon on another human being.

Sasuke stayed the same quite man as always, if anything becoming even more silent and brooding, I talked with Doctor Mason and his wife in the evening and played with their grand-daughter.

Amusingly the little girl seemed to favour Sasuke over the rest of us, becoming happier when he was in the room and occasionally crying if he passed by without acknowledging her. It was a nice source of material with which to tease Sasuke with.

It was at the end of this week that Sasuke told me I'd improved enough and we'd be making a small trip further to the north again to visit an old friend of his, what put me off about this trip was that Sasuke gave me two of the same modeled handguns I'd been practising with, several clips of ammunition and a long sleek knife, he told me to keep all the items within hands reach.

And that had nothing on what Sasuke had decided to bring for the 'little' trip himself, two large silver revolvers, a far more wicked looking curved knife than the one he had given to me and finally a long katana, he had allowed me to examine the blade and I found it covered in various symbols, the only one I recognised was the drawing of a dragon coiled around the hilt of the blade.

He explained to me that it was a very particular blade made personally for him, the dragon was in fact a seal, a specific type for weapons. The symbols that decorated the blade were powerful runes, to strengthen the steel, sharpen the edge and enhance other aspects of the blade; the way Sasuke spoke it almost seemed that the blade was alive.

"Where did you get it?" I had asked him amazed at the thing, it felt weightless when I held it but as Sasuke had shown me it was capable of easily splitting an iron bar in two.

"A former member of the Kiriga created it for me, that's another of the major orders, they prefer to use their secondary nobility seals on a weapon, with a weapon you can get better results, the weapon's seal is linked to your own seals boosting their abilities, there is only the small disadvantage in that the weapon can only boost your abilities when it's in contact with you." He explained in his signature detached tone.

So in short it seemed Sasuke didn't quite understand the meaning of overkill.

"Who are we going to see?" I asked as he continued to pack supplies for our trip.

"One of the old ones, though she never decided to form a clan or anything of that sort. She has a particularly unique gift though, and she doesn't care for one order or clan anymore than any other. She does have favoured people though." He answered stuffing some more ammo into a bag.

"And you're one of those people?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

He chuckled darkly.

"At one point I may have had a neutral standing with her, but I'm probably one of her most hated people." He explained with a smirk, the man did seem to be slightly schizophrenic explaining things like weaponry in perfect detail but ask him about a person and he spoke in riddles only giving out scraps of information at a time.

"So why would she help you now?" I asked hiding the frustration that threatened to leak out in my tone.

"Not me, you." He answered curtly as he finished packing.

"Why me?" I asked surprised, I'd never even met the woman.

"She like's you, which is probably one of the reasons why she hates me actually." He muttered the last part under his breath the traces off his good mood apparently evaporated.

"So how are we going to get there?" I asked more out of boredom than genuine curiosity.

"We'll hike to town and rent a car from there, we'll probably have to spend the night up there but I'll handle that when we get up there." He answered leading me into the kitchen.

"When are we going." I asked, it was a little past dawn so nobody else was up yet, even if it was a short trip I still wanted a chance to say goodbye to Doctor Mason, Mrs Mason and especially the baby.

"Now." He grunted making his way towards to door, backpack strung over his shoulders.

Damn Uchiha.

* * *

_Yui is dead._

_I found her in my room last night...she tried to seduce me, even though it still looked like the girl I loved I felt repulsed at going near her as she was now, she wasn't the girl I loved anymore; I had tried to send her away gently._

_She didn't leave, just pressed her familiar body closer._

_I tried being more forceful, I shouted and screamed at her to go but she wouldn't budge; at the end of my chain I grabbed her arm to throw her out._

_It didn't work._

_She overpowered me._

_She used one of those symbols that Masaka had mentioned to me, runes I think he called them. It leached all of my strength away from me._

_She used me to satisfy her first, she used their name for me enjoying how I disliked it, and forced me to call her 'Sakura'; forced me to scream it. When I'd call her Yui she'd hit me, with that terrible strength of hers and without me own seals protection my rips snapped and shattered easily; at least she began with hitting me, I can't remember exactly when she took out the knife._

_It continued for hours, she'd break me then heal me._

_I cried I think, and begged, but it all feels so surreal now. Not the good kind of surreal that felt like a dream to be forgotten but the kind that haunted the borders of your mind, that made you fear sleep in case you discovered you never escaped that world and would be returned there once you closed your eyes._

_Kenji found me, found us; on a bed drentched in my blood, _he_ didn't underestimate _Sakura's_ abilities and he didn't hesitate to use forse against her. He still flinched when I used that name but he allowed me the small indulgence. He bandaged my wounds and took me to his apartment to sleep._

_He also explained why none of the other Uchiha at the compound had come to investigate my screams, Masaka had been away and as for the others well before we remember our old lives we're worth less than dirt to the clan or order, no matter what happens to us we won't remember it._

_So for a small amount they allowed _Sakura_ her use of me._

_We're bringing forward our escape from the order, as soon as I can walk again in fact._

_Kenji hasn't left my side since it happened...I'm not sure I'd be able to hold myself together if he did, I don't feel like the nightmare is stalking me when he's nearby._

_I had been worried about our increasingly...unusual friendship, his odd affections. I can't bring myself to discourage it now, more so I've found myself craving it._

_Is that really wrong?_

_To feel safe because he's holding my hand._

_I had been told it was wrong growing up, but considering that those same people sold me to a sadistic knife wielding woman who wore the face of my dead lover._

_I guess it might be alright so._

* * *

I was a little more than shocked at the turn Takeda's diary had taken, I wasn't quite sure what to think about it really; there were certain undertones that made me wonder.

I'd read somewhere that homosexuality was genetic, and Sasuke was his descendant. He did reject my advances...maybe.

No wait he mentioned loving two women didn't he?

I glanced over at the couch where the Uchiha slept, the roads had been closed due to an accident from the heavy snow fall so we had to stop earlier than expected.

I wondered not for the first time what he hid behind that stoic expression of his.

He lay on the couch his right arm draped over his eyes, the way he slept reminded me of that first day he began teaching me about my abilities, I wondered if he was actually asleep this time.

I heard him growl low in his throat and shiver slightly.

He was having a nightmare.

His body had tensed up and his growl deepened becoming more feral.

I made way over to quietly.

He had moved his right arm from his eyes to across his crest instead, his hand's were tightly balled into fists and his brow was furrowed into a painful expression.

Gently I reached out my hand, my heart racing as I pasted to proximity he had stopped me at last time.

I cupped his cheek and ran my thumb softly along the top of his cheek bone.

The effect was instantaneous, I had expected him to jolt awake, push me away and make some scathing hurtful remark, I hadn't expected what did happen.

His hand reached up and gently covered mine, his growling stopped and his expression relaxed along with the rest of his body.

I had to remember to breath out.

My heart fluttered at the thought, it seemed Sasuke felt safe holding my hand.

I sat there for a little while longer just enjoying the feel of his hand covering mine, I felt my old pre-Sasuke easy smile spread across my face.

Giving into the little voice in the back of my mind I gave him a quick kiss on the forehead before returning to the bed.

I giggled a little as I realized now I had a secret to keep from Sasuke, he knew so much about me that _I_ didn't know, now I knew something about him he didn't know.

* * *

So that's the last chapter for this year, I'll be taking a two week break for the holidays the refresh and consider the particulars of the story; I know where it's going in general but some of the finer details still need working out. My next chapter should come out on the 4th of January assuming my computer doesn't blow up or there's some other kind of bizarre accident.

About the new undertone's in 'Takeda' character, well while I wouldn't worry about the pairing suddenly shifting in this story but it is an important concept in understanding the character. I like my characters complicated...very complicated obviously.

So please let me know about your feelings on the story so far, how you feel about how I've represented the characters all that jazz, it helps me improve believe it or not. While I love the short reviews saying that you guys are enjoying the story(and believe me I've walked around for days at a time smiling stupidly because of those reviews) I hope you'll try to give me a bit more feedback so that I can improve the story (or at least clarify some points) for you guys.

Happy Christmas, holidays ect.

R&R


	9. Chapter 9: Roaming Angel

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Chapter Nine;

* * *

"How many siblings do you have?" I asked Sasuke curiously, I had been trying to nap unsuccessfully in the passenger seat of the car Sasuke had rented, the traffic on the motorway was horribly congested due to the heavy snow fall.

The car was uncomfortably small and the chair wasn't a particularly good substitute for a bed, that and the weak heater that barely seemed to work made it next to impossible to take the nap I had planned.

"Technically speaking I have none, or at least I assume the clan head has banished me or something by now." He mused with a dark chuckle he seemed to hold a deep resentment towards his former clan.

"And not technically speaking?" I asked hoping he'd just answer instead of making me drag out what I wanted to know, was it so awful to want to know a little more about him.

"I don't consider any of my brother's still an active part of the clan as actual family, but as for a number for royalty in the Uchiha clan. It was somewhere near one hundred last I heard." He answered not moving his eyes from the road ahead of him, even though the cars had failed to even budge in the last ten minute.

I closed my eyes feeling much more comfortable than before with his voice in the background, I allowed it to begin lulling me asleep. Sasuke seemed to notice as he continued speaking without any prompting.

"I had one brother who was born from the same parents as me this reincarnation, he was closer to me than the rest." He continued his deep voice comforting me.

"What was his name?" I asked almost completely asleep now.

"Itachi was his clan name." He answered but I barely heard him.

"If I recall correctly though his birth name was..." I was too far gone to hear the name and was out like a light.

* * *

_I was enjoying the view of the of the crystalline lake that bordered the Konoha outpost we were stationed at, Sasuke had taken the guard duty with me along with several other lower ranked warriors including one of the slug princesses healers; she seemed to know Sasuke quite well._

_Speaking of the quiet man I felt him and another warrior approaching me from behind, my eye's hadn't fully recovered yet but they had for the most part; I could see properly but I couldn't activate my blood line._

_The mission had been far more difficult than I had imagined, guarding the outpost was only the second clause of our contract first we had had to liberate it and the nearby town from the enemy, Sasuke had saved me multiple times; despite us having the same seal level he had been far more...masterful than I thought someone _could_ be._

_He had to have been a rune lord the way he had used them, I was a high level rune apprentice but I could barely recognise the _types_ of seals he used. He controlled both of his element's, fire and lightning, with more precision than most twice his age were capable of; it wasn't up to Hyuuga standards but it was damn close._

_I understood why he had drawn so much attention from the elders, why the elders had wanted him bonded to Hanabi, he was at that age now about four hundred years. He had huge potential if he were placed on an elite team or on a council seat and gained an A rank seal he could rival the famous Kakashi...it helped that the man was rumoured to have taken interest in him._

_I heard the person with Sasuke talking as they approached me._

"_What's so special about her Sasuke, I've got higher statistics in all of the combat fields and intelligence, and I've got a recommendation from Lady Tsunade I can help you get into the elite ranks." The girl argued with Sasuke, the Uchiha didn't even blink at her words and seemed to completely ignore her presence._

_I felt my heart constrict at her words, my statistics with the order were pitiful to be honest. The separate statistics were Close, mid and long range combat, intelligence, seal control, seal rank, other skills, mission success rate, rune level and title._

_As a Hyuuga I was forbidden from using our secret arts in such a test, that coupled with my old eye injuries crippled my combat rankings, my intelligence was highly rated but Sakura's had been the second highest of our generation even topping Sasuke, it was close but still. I ranked eight of our generation._

_My seal control was slightly better than average, and I had the standard C rank order seal and B rank Hyuuga nobility seal. It would be my most eye catching statistic to be honest, which was rather depressing, under other skills I had two foreign languages, the unique Hyuuga martial art and knowledge of herbs._

_My mission success rate was average, my rune level was apprentice though I was close to being raised in rank; rune rank didn't particularly matter however as most people had little interest in it beyond the basic's, it was a long hard skill to develop and as most had the potential to learn them they didn't have any draw for exclusivity._

_Sakura probably was the most likely choice for Sasuke as a bride at the moment, she had a B rank seal from being Tsunade's apprentice which made her equal to the nobility, She had scored second in terms of intelligence, her combat ratings were high in close combat and average in mid and long range, her seal control was exceptional due to her being a healer, her other skills included her healing abilities, five foreign languages, two martial arts and some mechanical skills I didn't know the details of._

_Her success rate was near perfect and her rune level was of medium journeyman, impressive even though many didn't choose to study runes themselves a rank of journeyman would catch the eye._

_She was now the most wanted woman of bonding/marrying age, though that title had once belonged to another. Hanabi's record had been much better than Sakura's, maybe even rivalling Sasuke's record though I hadn't ever seen Sasuke's; I had heard rumours that it was one of the highest ever._

"_I've read you report Sakura." I had to smile I could hear his lack of interest in her attentions, he may not make jokes but Sasuke could certainly be funny in his own way._

_Though I do wonder who the girl she's jealous of is, I hadn't noticed Sasuke display an interest in anyone; though maybe I just wasn't being obsessive enough to notice what she had...or imagine what she had._

"_So you're smarter than that Sasuke, I'm the best you know it." They were close enough now that I could see them, I regretted turning to stare at them though as I got to witness the girl press her body up against the Uchiha and flutter her eyelashes._

_Sasuke passed no heed of the girl whatsoever and simply regarded me with a nod as he stepped up beside me to take a look of his own at the lake._

"_It's your shift on guard soon." He spoke solemnly, guard duty wasn't as easy as it sounded, the enemy was adamantly trying to retake the outpost from us, they had been quiet for two nights now and everyone was on edge waiting for the attack we knew was inevitable._

"_With you again?" I asked._

_He nodded silently; he had somehow convinced, more likely coerced, our squad leader into scheduling us as partnering for all our shift's on guard duty so for._

_I didn't want to admit I found it comforting._

"_The guards being increased, Sakura's joining us." That seemed odd, not that the there was to be another guard but that it was Sakura, it would imbalance the groups._

_I suppose Sakura had convinced the squad leader in her own way, though with the rumours of her temper alone may have been enough._

"_Alright lets go." I replied taking one last look at the view I had been enjoying, perhaps my shift would be easier tonight; Sakura had to me a better conversationalist than Sasuke._

_On the short trip to the guard post I felt compelled to tell Sasuke I hated him again...just in case he had forgotten._

* * *

"We have reports that the Uchiha was spotted heading north with a girl, we suspect that he may be planning to consult with the witch woman." Spoke the shorter of the two men sitting at the counter of the near empty diner into his phone while the larger man contented himself with the several large serving of food before him.

"Considering the time between since the Mist reported two of their sentries missing and now I suspect that he's got some base south of the which woman, I've already sent you the list of most likely locations we've found." The man continued lazily, eyeing the waitress bring his companion yet another dish.

"Keep the bill low Choji, I ain't got that much on me." Hissed the man seemingly slightly annoyed at the man's exponentially growing food bill.

"So what do you want us to do? Make a move after they leave the witch woman's home or search for their camp and set a trap?" asked the smaller man with a sigh of disinterest.

"I understand, though that plan does sound like overkill...sir." answered the man adding the sir almost as an afterthought, he hung up the phone and gestured lazily to his companion to finish his food.

"You don't sound too happy Shika?" inquired the large man between bites.

"They're seem to be using far more force than what's necessary, it makes me wonder; whether or not they have told us all the facts or not." Answered the shorter man frowning, the Uchiha was reported to have two seal's and although he was reported to be incredibly skilled within the boundaries of those seal he was still bound by those limitations.

They had nothing to worry about except, the Uchiha was rumoured to be a Rune Lord, if he used one of the forbidden rune's there was a large chance he would kill both of them.

Shikamaru had the odd feeling he was being used as cannon fodder.

"Fuck's sake Choji, got your suit covered in crap again." Muttered Shikamaru as he noticed the man's formerly white suit not covered in various food stains.

* * *

_I can walk again...well mostly anyway, Kenji is much more hesitant about moving so soon, I haven't been able to properly use my powers since the _incident_._

_Despite the fact that they are to blame for my problems I can't help from feeling naked without them, Kenji say's it's due to whatever _Sakura_ had done to me, it may wear off in time or there may be something I have to do myself, a rune or a mental and spiritual cleansing, Kenji confessed that it wasn't his strong suit._

_Our relationship grows stranger and stranger, I had taken a nap on the couch after packing today; my body was still weak the lack of my seal's leaving me more susceptible to normal illnesses, I awoke with my head cushioned on Kenji's lap, he was stroking my hair softly._

_It made me feel weird._

_We sit closer than we used to, barely an inch closer and probably unnoticeable to anyone else but I noticed it and I know he did too._

_It was like static electricity between us._

_It tingled on the tips of my fingers and I had to force myself not to look down to see if my seal's had reactivated._

_Even writing that I feel stupid, these feelings can't be natural and what about Yui; I can't forget her so soon._

_All of these contradictions are confusing me, I still love _Yui_ but I hate _Sakura_, I'm feeling something new...interesting and yet I can't help remembering what happened the last time I let someone in. Seal's, my own as well as other, have brought be nothing but pain and suffering, but I want no I need them back to protect my daughter._

_My Daughter, she's about the only thing that's simple in my life, the only thing I'm not second guessing._

_Kenji just entered the room, he's got an odd expression on his face._

_I'll write again later._

* * *

Sasuke entered the car again and I quickly hid the journal in my coat, I was going to tell him that I took the journal...eventually.

"I've booked our room but there's still light." Spoke the man starting the ignition, typical Sasuke leaving out half of his explanation, I assumed he planned on making use of that light to go see this woman that apparently hated him.

Though Sasuke seemed to think everyone hated him.

"Is she far?" I asked only for the Uchiha to smirk, I guessed he was happy that I had guessed what he was talking about.

"Not long. I warn you though Hinata, she may like you but that doesn't mean she'll be completely honest with you Hinata." He seemed to really enjoy saying my name, not that I didn't enjoy the way he said it.

Slowly in his suave low voice he spoke it, savouring each syllable like it was a delicacy, it felt like an intimate gesture and I felt guilty for not purring his name in a similarly sensual voice.

"Sasuke..." I whispered in a weird poor man's imitation of the same tone he had spoke my name in, together his eyebrow rose and my face ignited.

Bad, bad Hinata, no thinking naughty thoughts about dangerous men...and especially no making a fool of yourself in front of him...again.

"Em w-what do you mean by 'completely honest'?" I asked ignoring the questioning eyebrow directed at me.

"She'll tell half truths, though she will have your best intentions in mind...most likely, but it'll be her interpretation of what's best for you and not what you may likely want. Of course if it's at all possible she will try to kill me." He spoke the words so calmly and in such a relaxed manner that I almost began to choke when I processed their meaning.

"Kill you!" I exclaimed, we couldn't go to someone like that for advice, it was beyond crazy.

"You might want to get used to that idea Hinata. A lot of people share that particular sentiment." His lips quirked up in such a way that led me to believe that he thought the idea was quite funny, damn macabre madman had a death wish.

Before I could think of something to say Sasuke pulled the car off the road and onto a small mud road, within the next couple of seconds we had reached a small cosy looking house.

"We're here." Announced Sasuke cutting the engine and stepping out of the car, I followed mutedly trying my best to ignore the anxiety beginning to bubble within the pit of my stomach.

I did not want to enter that house.

Sasuke didn't seem to notice my hesitation as I slowly climbed from the car, or perhaps he chose to ignore it; that certainly sounded like the kind of thing Sasuke would do, perhaps it wasn't out of cruelty that he ignored my hesitance but more of a cruel necessity.

"Come on Hinata!" spoke the Uchiha and I tried not to savour the way that he spoke my name, I caught up to the man as he walked towards the house as I stepped onto the porch I was surprised to see Sasuke stop his foot just hovering above the first step.

As I was about to question his particular behaviour when the man made a clicking noise with his tongue before raising his hand up to eye height, carefully he began tracing complex shapes and patterns on the very air before him, every now and then he'd release a small growl of frustration or a hum of approval.

Finally after almost ten minutes the Uchiha had managed to put his foot onto the step, I wondered if he would take the same amount of time for each of the three steps. He actually ascended the steps rather swiftly.

"What was that about?" I finally settled on asking Sasuke, blinking at an oddly rapid pace as I starred at the tall man in confusion.

"Watch out for traps inside, she did an unusually poor job with those wards." He answered.

Sasuke was very lucky he had those looks.

He pushed the door open slowly, the slight tension in his body obvious as his muscles coiled in preparation for whatever lay waiting for him behind that door.

"I was kind of hoping that you would simply have waited outside and let me talk to the girl Sasuke." Called a raspy feminine voice as Sasuke entered into the house, if the tone Sasuke used for my name conveyed warmth and affection then the tone that this woman used for his was the polar opposite, cold and hateful.

"You're losing your touch if you expected that Anneil." Called Sasuke's own harsh voice...the hostility in the air was thick and heavy as I entered, Sasuke stood his left hand hovering close to where I knew he had concealed one of his guns at the small of his back, it was the only weapon I knew that location of; and that filled me with dread at the thought of what his right hand might draw and use if he felt a threat nearby.

"Won't you let me talk to the girl alone boy." Asked the woman her voice losing some of its edge for a moment.

The woman looked...it was hard to describe her skin was a perfect pale white canvas and her platinum blonde hair was perfect, not a single hair astray; but it was her eyes that drew me in, the icy blue orbs were like Sasuke's, they showed the wealth and the horror or the long lives that they're owners had led.

She may have seemed quite young if not for those eyes.

"If I give you some advise if you'll give me even a minute Uchiha. It may even help you to save a life." She offered her eyes briefly flickering over to me...it became obvious what she was implying.

Would Sasuke agree now.

"And if you're lying?" asked Sasuke menace in his tone.

"You can always use _it_ boy." Answered the woman, I saw an unnamed emotion flash across Sasuke's face.

"_It_ doesn't work on the old ones." He gritted out, though there was something still in his eyes, they were certainly a rude pair though I wondered what _it was_.

"No not exactly boy. The incomplete form wouldn't work, but you don't have any such limitation do you?" she asked, Sasuke brow immediately tightened in an inner turmoil I couldn't understand.

"Close your eyes Hinata." Commanded Sasuke in such a stern tone I almost immediately complied, I hesitated for a moment though and sent a questioning look toward Sasuke.

"Please Hinata." There was almost desperation in Sasuke's voice.

Desperation in Sasuke was quite a frightening thing, so I did as he asked.

"You really did obtain that curse...you pathetic miserable boy." The woman cursed quietly to himself.

"Enough. Tell me your prediction old hag." Growled Sasuke roughly, no compassion in his voice.

"On the first day of spring you will find a cherry blossom." Spoke the woman and I found myself a little disappointed, a flower in spring...surprising.

"You can open your eyes Hinata darling." Came the woman's voice surprising in the kindness of its tone.

I opened my eyes to find only the woman, Anneil remained in the room with me, Sasuke had left us alone.

"He'll be waiting just outside the door, there's no need to worry." The woman commented, for a few moment's the silence between us stretched out awkwardly and I desperately grasped for a response or anything at all to use to break the silence.

"W-why did you want to talk to me alone?" I asked after several long moments, the woman looked me in the eye and smiled gently.

"You haven't remembered me yet have you dare?" Asked the woman gesturing for me to sit in a nearby armchair, hesitantly I made my way over to the chair and sat gingerly in the chair.

"No, I can't say I know you." I answered honestly, I hoped I wouldn't hurt the seemingly kind woman's feelings; well at least kind when Sasuke wasn't around.

"A shame, but you will in time." Responded the woman optimistically a smile stretched across her face.

"As for why I wanted to speak with you alone, well there is something I wish to tell you and not the Uchiha." Continued the woman, raising from her own chair, almost in unison I heard the open door bang shut noisily and the small fire I hadn't passed much notice to when I'd entered the room flared back to life with a harsh fury.

A shiver ran down my spine as I suddenly suspected that the woman was more dangerous than I and maybe even Sasuke had been giving her credit for.

"Though it pains me to say it you'll need to be able to trust Sasuke in the near future." Spoke the woman eerily stepping closer to me, I instinctively felt my hand ghost toward one of my own concealed guns.

The woman barked a laugh.

I reached for the gun but grasped only air.

"I trust Sasuke." I answered desperately hoping that the man might resurface at the sound of his name, even if I didn't speak it seductively and coolly.

"Perhaps, but soon fear will shake that trust and that doubt will get you killed." Continued the woman taking another step towards me.

"I'm going to show you another side of him you have yet to see, not the extent of his abilities but the extent of his cruelty." Spoke the woman and I felt myself freeze, try as I might I couldn't move.

Gently her finger tips touched my temples and my vision began to swim.

* * *

And that's all folk's I'm saving the vision for the next Chapter, Please review and let me know how you liked the chapter/story/character/ect, I really do love reviews you know.

Until next week.

R&R


	10. Chapter 10: Twisting Angel

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Chapter Ten;

* * *

_I awoke to find myself standing in a large dirty and dank room._

"_I'm disappointed Sasuke...I thought you'd manage to run much longer than this." Sung a tall pink haired woman her face somehow unrecognisable to me as she meandered her away slowly over towards a fallen man crumbled against a nearby wall, two dozen men flanked each of her sides._

_The dark haired man looked up and I was surprised to see Sasuke's face stare up at the people surrounding him, a shallow cut decorated his cheek leaking blood to drip down his face, naked terror danced in his eyes. I was shocked to see the man I thought I knew so well cowering and frantically searching for a way to escape._

_How was this possibly Sasuke's cruelty._

"_T-that's not my name!" Sasuke bit out his voice cracking in fear._

_The woman moved very quickly._

_She had Sasuke pinned against the wall with only one arm, his legs dangled uselessly above the ground while his arms tried to break her grip on his neck with no success, she tightened her grip and glared sinisterly at her captive._

"You_ are Sasuke. And you are mine." Growled out the woman harshly before crashing her lips against Sasuke's as he trashed desperately in vain, when the woman pulled away fresh blood coursed down the Uchiha's chin from his bruised and cut lips._

_Terror reigned upon his face for several slow moments where I felt myself quake in the horror of the situation as Sasuke struggled, I was at a loss for why I was being shown this vision; it was a horror that I didn't want to see, I didn't want to see Sasuke like this it seemed somehow like an evasion of privacy._

_Suddenly Sasuke stopped moving, his face went slack. Angrily the woman slammed the man back into the wall harshly causing the wall to crack under the pressure, she seemed upset at being ignored by Sasuke, his eyes had shut._

_I saw a familiar carefully neutral expression decorate Sasuke's face as he opened his eyes, instead of the ordinary dark orbs a scarlet pair stared unfocused at his attackers._

_His left hand darted up and caught the pink haired woman's wrist. A bolt of snake like lightning raced up his forearm and onto the woman's searing and cutting open the skin as it went and forced the woman to jump away from Sasuke._

_Half of the men dashed forward to attack the Uchiha despite the woman's shouts to stop._

_As the first man got in arms reach I expected Sasuke to simple bat him away or knock him out, maybe even kill him...but I never expected the way he did react._

_Faster than the woman had moved Sasuke struck out and grabbed the man by the throat with his right arm and as quickly as one would strike a match the man's body burst into flames, his dying scream's struck me to the core._

_His left hand shot out toward the second man his index and middle finger extended; a flash of light later and a solid bolt of lightning stretched from Sasuke's finger tips and cut through the man's throat, cruelly he tore his lightning blade from the man and cut two more in two with it._

_A fifth man approaching Sasuke from behind had his head crushed by a spinning elbow, a straight punch and a flash of lightning pierced a sixth man's torso._

_Despite all of this carnage wreaked by one man in a manner of seconds another of the men still dashed forward a baton in his hand, like a ghost Sasuke moved forward knocking the baton from the man's hand, his other hand moved to the man's chest._

_I smelled the scent of burned flesh and knew Sasuke had just burned a rune into the man's chest, his scream's rang dully in my ears as Sasuke's palm hit the man's chest knocking him several feet back into the other men and the woman, only the woman had the sense to move putting as much distance between herself and the rune marked man as possible._

_The Uchiha clicked his fingers and the Rune Lord technique I recognised, how I don't know, as the Uchiha's Fire Storm ignited._

_The man who had been decorated with the Rune exploded into a ball of flames that roasted him and his comrades, their agonising screams bursting over the sounds of the flames._

_I didn't notice them, I was too numb to as I took in the sight of the last two still living beings in the room._

_The pink haired woman sat crouched where she had landed after jumping away from the flames, Sasuke stood across from her, lightning blazing along one arm and flames dancing on the other._

"_Sasuke...that was magnificent." Purred the woman standing and slowly making her way toward Sasuke, she swayed her hips invitingly and ran her hands down her body from the tops of her modest breasts to her mid-thigh; she let out a shaky breath of excitement as she stared at Sasuke the expression on her face akin to hunger._

"_Why...did you attack me?" he asked slowly a cruel glare still etched on his face, the last of the screams from the fire died at last._

"He _was trying to take you from us, but now you're you again at last Sasuke." Laughed the woman now within reach of Sasuke's dangerous hands, something deep inside me begged for him to kill her too._

"_He?" questioned Sasuke harshly reaching forward and grabbing the woman's arm threateningly, the lightning and flames had subsided but I still smelled a faint burning that told me his powers were brimming just beneath the surface._

_Instead of scream in pain and trash the woman moaned in satisfaction actually pulling and moving the Uchiha's hand up against her body instead, I smelled more faint burning as his hand connected with her lean stomach; Sasuke seemed as bewildered if not more so than myself._

"_That's not so important now love, I've got you back that's all that matters." Whispered the pinkette lazily raising her bloodied arm and languish licking the blood from her index finger with a moan of satisfaction._

_The flames behind them died at last leaving only charred corpses and the lingering smell of a painful death._

"_Nobody makes me bleed as good as you Sa-su-ke." Breathed the girl trailing her 'cleaned' index finger over the back of the Uchiha's hand in a simple pattern, there was more sizzling._

_Sasuke looked quite taken aback at the woman's behaviour but suddenly stilled unnaturally at the girls ministrations, to my horror I realised that the woman had bound him._

_The moment didn't last long as Sasuke seemed to simply shrug off the Rune's effect._

"_Pathetic." Growled the Uchiha darkly as the girl seemed only more delighted at Sasuke's abilities._

_They moved almost in synch the woman's hands darting to the top of her vest, the sudden movement triggered Sasuke's own movement as he seemed to reach out and summon one of the fallen men's guns to his hand deftly catching it and levelling it at the pink haired woman._

_Magnetism._

_The woman didn't draw any weapon however, just slowly lowered the zip of her top her breasts popping out from the tight material before she removed it completely; one hand trailed its way up to grasp one of her breasts while the other took hold of the hem of her shorts._

"_Come on Sasuke, let's...celebrate." purred the girl licking her lips as she pushed herself up against the dark haired man, Sasuke himself still looked surprised at the girl._

* * *

I was back in the seers cabin.

"Why..." I croaked, breathless and flushed at the experience I'd just had I wanted nothing more than to regain my breath and murder this foul woman.

"Why what darling?" asked Anneil in a sickly sweet voice.

"Why did you show me that?" I asked managing to get enough breath into my lugs to speak clearly.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked the ancient in her pseudo-sweet tone.

"You want me to leave Sasuke." I stated with a harsh conviction glaring at the woman, I wanted my damn gun.

"Well yes, that certainly would be pleasant. But I doubt such a thing is going to happen anytime soon." Stated the woman casually, I actually heard myself growl lowly in my throat as my anger bubbled.

"But beyond that with what you've seen perhaps you will now trust the brat to handle fighting the dangerous enemies, if you get involved in fighting the monsters chasing him it will be the death of you." Spoke Anneil coldly, I however didn't believe her.

"Bullshit!" I exclaimed loudly, and I was certain that where ever she was Tenten would be proud; I couldn't help myself something within me was reacting strongly and violently to the threat on Sasuke.

Maybe it was the bond.

"Excuse me!" snarled Anneil visibly upset.

"You heard me, you just want me to abandon Sasuke when he needs me the most." I returned heatedly the fire pooled in my belly refusing to cool.

"You forget yourself you insolent girl, I tell no lies and see only the truth of things. Ignorance will not protect you from my wrath fool!" exclaimed the woman raising to her full height and glaring down on me.

Behind me I heard the door swing open seemingly on its own.

"Leave me now." Commanded the woman retaking her seat and closing her eyes apparently refusing to acknowledge me, I turned on my heel to leave without another word.

"Return to me, when you remember the truth of things." Spoke the woman solemnly, I didn't pause in my stride.

I found Sasuke leaning against the car waiting for me, the sunlight was fading over the horizon painting the scene in warm hues of orange and gold.

"How long was I in there?" I asked feeling my anger ebb away now that I was out of that woman's presence.

"Not too long." Answered Sasuke opening the door for me to get in, he smiled gently at me for a moment.

I decided then that even if Anneil was telling the truth I wouldn't take the risk, maybe it was the bond we shared but I couldn't stand the idea of any harm coming to Sasuke.

He pulled out of the dirt road leading to Anneil's cabin and it was several minutes before I realised he was either taking the long way to the motel or else he had another destination in mind first.

I decided I'd make use of the time with a couple of question's for my companion.

"D-did you ever know a woman with pink hair?" I asked, this might test the honesty of Anneil's vision.

"Yes, we were quiet good friend's at one point too." He answered simply, you wouldn't have noticed the reaction unless you were watching for it and knew Sasuke subtlety well enough to interpret.

His jaw clenching by a miniscule amount, the wooden steering wheel giving a quiet squeak of protest as he tightened his grip.

"W-were you intimate?" I asked feeling a bright blush spread its way across my features, I hoped silently that it wasn't too noticeable but also realised it was pointless, Sasuke noticed everything.

"Not that I can recall, I think we were married at one point but it wasn't really a big deal...or legal within the order I think." He returned and it was all I could do to stare at him incredulously, who didn't consider a marriage of any sort as not a big deal.

"What happened, you said you 'were' friends?" I enquired hoping that I wasn't prying to deeply.

"I left the order, and that made her my enemy; she made that clear to me. She had also become demented, which I was told was my fault actually." He responded again in his detached emotionless tone, I wondered not for the first time if he's wasn't in some way mentally damaged

"What are the Orders actually Sasuke, you never really explained it?" I asked hoping to change the topic to an easier subject for the Uchiha, beside's I was still kinda curious about these Orders.

"Well I can only say for sure how the Konoha Order works; it's not really like a business partnership or a social club though element's of both certainly come into play. More so the Order in like a religion, they all believe that they were put on this Earth to serve God, the Hokage is the head in this department, they believe the Hokage is God's representative their commandeer if you will, and the Hokage is given what's best described as an A+ Rank seal, but in the end the Hokage is for the most part a figure head." Answered the Uchiha and I tried my best to get my head around the information.

"So who actually runs the order?" I asked, if the Hokage was a figurehead someone else would have to decide the law's and handle the running of the order.

"The Order is actually run by the council and the Minister, there are twenty seats on the council divided between the most influential clans, the Uchiha and Hyuuga both have a seat each; the Minister is elected by the clanless within the order and has the ability to nominate any law he or she feels is bias to a public vote." Lectured Sasuke pulling to a stop at a set of traffic lights, he racked his left hand through his hair carefully; a sign I recognised to mean he was tense, I wondered if it had anything to do with the premonition from Anneil.

"Then there are the warriors, Genin have one seal; Chunin have two seals C rank or below, usually a lesser clan seal and an order Seal two C's or an order Seal and a lesser Order seal a C and a D; Jonin have two seals with one B Rank or above, usually one nobility seal and one commoner Seal a B and a C; Anbu are the elite and are given an A rank seal by the Hokage themselves, as they were formally Jonin this usually gives them an A, a B and a C seal. They're incredibly dangerous." Explained Sasuke and I had to get him to repeat himself before I remembered all the letters in the correct sequence, I didn't know how useful the information may be but I reasoned that it couldn't hard and focused on committing it to memory.

A couple of more minutes passed by uneventfully.

"Did you enjoy it their?" I was back to the personal questions, but it didn't seem fair to just grill him endlessly for information.

"At first, my precious people were part of the Order." He answered with a practised ease, I wondered if he hadn't been anticipating the question for some time now.

"What happened?" I asked after a moment's hesitation, Sasuke didn't seem to tense so I reasoned I didn't need to be too careful with what I said.

"Some of those people died and the Order became a threat to the ones I had left." Those words spoken so calmly sent a shiver up my spine that I forced myself to ignore.

"We're not going to the motel are we Sasuke?" I asked even though I knew the answer.

"I've got a bad feeling and I want to return to the cabin." He answered refusing to elaborate beyond that; I wondered if it had not do with the fact that the first day of spring was only two days away.

* * *

"_Don't walk away from me Hinata!" I heard him growl lowly in his throat, had we been anywhere else I wouldn't have heard him, I would have an excuse; but here we were in this lonely silent village in the middle of the night._

_I heard his words crystal clear._

_I didn't break my stride just kept my hasty pace away from him._

"_Hinata, look at me please." I felt his hand wrap tightly around my bicep, he always was faster, I felt the contact of his skin on mine and tried not to lean into his touch; I expected him to spin me around, confront me directly, he didn't; we just stood there for a moment silently the wind playing gently with my hair, I could feel his energies mingle and mix with mine._

_I waited another minute before I decided to take the initiative if he wouldn't, I slapped his hand from my arm harshly and spun to face him a scalding remark on the tip of my tongue._

_Then I felt his lips gently brush against my own in a soft kiss._

_I pushed him away lashing out with a punch that connected solidly with his chest, I took a dark pleasure to hear him exhale sharply in pain._

"_Leave me alone Sasuke!" I called my mind still reeling from the soft kiss; I had forgotten my scalding remark; my voice had grown louder than I had wanted it too; and I had used his name, I didn't want to do that, it felt too good when I was supposed to hate him._

"_So you're just going to forget that kiss too." He returned and I felt my breath catch in my throat; I had been sure he was asleep, it was just a meaningless kiss, a flight of fancy on an exhausted whim._

_But he wouldn't believe me...I didn't even believe me._

"_And what about Hanabi huh? Have you forgotten her Sasuke?" I screeched unable to contain myself; I had used his name again and I wasn't supposed to feel this way for him, he was my sisters murderer._

_Sasuke's reaction was immediate, Hanabi seemed to be the only thing that really got any reaction out of him, for a moment I regretted my words. His eyes widened slightly and his breath took a sharp hitch, for any other man it wouldn't have been a reaction but for Sasuke it was a scream of agony._

_I wondered had he really not expected me to bring her up, no he was far to intelligent for that; maybe it was the anger in my tone he hadn't quite expected, he'd only ever seen me angry once before this; maybe it was the accusation that he's forgotten about her; or just maybe he had expected all that and then some and in the end there are simply some wounds that we can't prepare or brace ourselves for._

"_That's not fair." He whispered his eyes narrowing dangerously._

_I didn't care._

"_Well if that's not it then maybe I get to just fill in, we're sisters after all; a little imagination and you can probably forget it's me and not her your with!" I accused him furiously, it was all coming out now, a bottle had been opened and I couldn't close it._

"_Hinata..." he began voice low, ready to convince me that I was wrong; that he hadn't forgotten my sister; or that he wasn't using me as a substitute._

"_Well Sasuke let's here the excuse. Was six months not enough time to fall in love after all, and you realise that after falling for me; did guilt and grief fool your heart into believing you loved the woman who sacrificed herself for you? Well what is it? Convince me Sasuke!" I don't know when the tears began to fall; I was losing track of how often I spoke his name, and that I was supposed to feel bad about it; I don't know when me insult became an honest request for to convince me._

_I wanted him to convince me that it was alright._

_I wanted it to be alright._

_He stepped forward and pulled me into his warm embrace, I didn't struggle as I felt his arms surround me and his chin rest lightly atop my head._

"_Hinata I did love Hanabi..." I felt my heart constrict in my chest, his guilt had caught up with him and he'd only been using me as a replacement; same eyes, nose and lips; a rounder jaw line, fractionally darker hair and an unfortunately slightly pudgier body._

_It was close enough I guess._

"_It was like a firework, instantaneous. I love you though Hinata, and it's different. Like a slow cloudy sunrise the more I watched you the more of your light I saw shine through the clouds." He continued, rocking me reassuringly in his arms._

"_I've lived a dozen lifetimes Hinata, isn't it possible I found love twice?" he asked and it sounded fair, Hanabi had been the love of his life but he had died since, isn't it possible for him to find another love of his life, this life he's living now._

_I stifled my tears and pushed away from him._

"_That's not good enough Uchiha." I spoke resolutely, I had to end it now; Sasuke and I couldn't he together it wasn't fair to Hanabi; and it wasn't fair to me I knew despite his sweet words he'd see her in me, that would be all he'd really see._

_And yet there was no reaction, no change to his blank expression; I suddenly hated that, I could still remember the tears from the day we met, the tears for Hanabi; and I could barely get a blink out of the man._

_It was infuriating._

_He deserved to feel pain._

_He opened his mouth to speak but I beat him to it, ready to drive the final nail into the coffin._

"_I've lived just as long as you, and I have only one love. The love of my existence and it isn't you Sasuke! You disgust me." I spat regretting every word I spoke more, this wasn't like all the time's I half heartedly told him I hated him on principle; there was no shortage of venom in my words, not an ounce of suppressed rage or concealed anger._

_For the first time since we'd met Sasuke was the one to turn and walk away from me; I should have felt relieved, I would be at peace again and I wouldn't have him shadowing every step I took._

_So why did I feel to hollow._

"_I...I...I." I called to his back, my emotion's turbulent as I couldn't figure out exactly what I felt for this man, what I wanted to tell him._

_I'm sorry,_

_I'm afraid, no,_

_I'm terrified, and_

_I'm pushing you away._

_I want you to stay._

_I think I've fallen in love a second time too._

_I need you._

_I love you._

_Don't go._

"_I...I hate you." There was only the sound of the wind for a moment, the whistle of it racing through the tree branches and the rustling of the leafs; it was several seconds before I realised just what I had said._

_Sasuke still stood there, silently._

"_I know." He whispered quietly, so quietly I wasn't sure I even heard him correctly._

_And then he was gone and I was alone._

* * *

Okay folks that's it for this chapter, funny story it actually got deleted off my computer and I had to rewrite it from memory, so sadly I have not bothered to proof read the damn thing, I apologise for that but I just don't have the energy.

Please leave me a nice big review, me love you long time if ya do and all that jazz.

R&R


	11. Chapter 11: Shadowed Demon

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Chapter Eleven;

* * *

"_What are you doing here?" I felt myself ask shakily, it had been a long time since I'd seen him; long even by our standards but somehow it felt like a eternity; he looked the same, tall regal dark but somehow his aura had gotten colder over the years, I had heard his team had been captured by the enemy; it seemed he had taken on the missions most likely to kill him._

"_My closest friend lives here, what are you doing here?" He shot back, I was aware that the two of them had been friends, I was hoping he wouldn't be here though._

"_I-I've come to request that Naruto choose me to B-bond with." I stated a small blush running across my face; I was more than old enough, in fact my clan was beginning to pressure me into it and I wanted to decide for myself before they intervened. I'd become Bonded to my one true love._

_It had been years this the Bonding had actually had any effect; in the old days it was said to increase the strength of those bonded equal to their feelings for one another; now it had just become a simple tradition and a form of marriage for us. I knew Naruto and I would be able to make full use of our bonds._

_Sasuke looked as if I had just slapped him; he looked old for a moment and I wondered if I activated by bloodline how many scars would I see lining his soul, he had plenty of new body's and left the physical scars behind him but I'd be still able to see them._

"_Alright, he's just inside." He submitted stepping aside and allowing me to pass, I strode by quickly ignoring him when he fell into step with me._

_I found Naruto in his living room moments later and greeted him with a simple bow, strong blonde blue eyed and gorgeous; Naruto was definitely more my type than Sasuke. I had decided to say my piece before he said anything, I wasn't sure how long my courage would last around him._

"_Naruto, I-ah will you Bond with me." I stammered out, seriously surprising and shocking the blonde who had just stood up to greet me._

_There was a few minutes silence as I hoped Naruto was considering it, maybe someone better had already asked him._

"_Eh, Hinata I'm flattered, but I've already got someone." He answered looking somewhat guilty, my stomach felt heavy like I'd just eaten a lead plate, he hadn't been considering my offer just how best to refuse it._

"_W-who?" I asked, it wouldn't do me any good to know; but it only seemed fair that I know the name of the woman who'd stolen my dream from me._

"_Sasuke." I hadn't been expecting that._

_I politely excused myself and left to find the Uchiha awaiting me outside Naruto's room, he didn't say anything for a moment and neither did I, and then I had him pinned against the wall by his collar._

"_Why! Why did you take him from me?" I croaked out, unable to believe that this man could be so vindictive as to take my chances with Naruto from me._

"_I did no such thing." He simply ground out not even making a slight effort to remove my grip._

"_Naruto was never yours to begin with, can you say that you wouldn't have used the bond to take him from me?" he continued and I felt my grip slacked my finger's becoming like jelly; he was right, Naruto wasn't mine; and even if it had been unintentional I would have taken Naruto from him._

"_But, but your both men?" I blanched, the bonding was akin to a wedding._

"_Are you two?" I asked._

"_The bonding is only a partnership Hinata, it used to be more common between friends than lovers." He explained and I had no choice but to take his word for it._

"_Are you happy like this?" I heard him ask, I didn't answer just let go of him and stormed off. I didn't want to tell him that the last time I'd been happy was when he kissed me so many years ago._

* * *

"Tell me about yourself?" I was awake after another odd disturbing dream and I was bored; it had occurred to me recently that I didn't really know a whole lot about my companion, or should I say I didn't know any of the little things- the important stuff really.

"What do you want to know?" he returned apparently un interested in any games of twenty questions I may be trying to start.

"Um...what's your favourite food?" I asked, an easy question to start off with for the socially inept man.

"Tomatoes." He answered quickly, I let out a small 'eh' and cocked my head.

"That's only half an answer, Tomato what?" I asked teasingly a small smile on my face, I wasn't taking any short answers today.

"Tomato anything really." He answered, I guess he wasn't in the mood for long answers.

"How about...other things you like?" I asked hoping for an insight.

"I like classical music, my favourite colour is red and I prefer night to day." He rhymed off uninterested, I was tempted to start asking him more indebt questions even at the risk of sounding like a scolding school teacher, I decided against it seeing as Sasuke didn't seem to be in the mood to talk to me at all really.

"How about things you hate?" I asked figuring I'd let him just drive after that if he really didn't want to talk.

"Things I hate...well religion for one and any kind of large organisation or group of people." He answered and I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"So your an atheist and an anarchist?" I asked with a smile, maybe the man just liked to fight.

"I suppose. I dislike anything that allows one person power or control over another." He elaborated and I decided to just listen.

"They make too many mistakes for my tastes, it's almost impossible for a regular person to tell the truth from a lie, you may as well flip a coin to decide things." He finished with a sneer, I wondered what brought on this hatred of laws and governments.

"So what would you do?" I asked interested in what he'd do instead.

"I'm not sure, however I do know of two secret groups of people who can detect lies; but they only use those abilities to help themselves." He spoke still without the emotion in his voice but I began to wonder, I suspected he was just far to practiced in hiding his emotions to even notice he did it anymore.

"You're bitter?" I asked not certain just how strongly Sasuke felt about it, he'd used the same tone of voice to describe Christmas decorations as he would Genocide.

"A little." He replied back to his short answers.

"I've started to remember things." I spoke quietly, so quietly in fact that had it been anyone else they wouldn't have heard me.

"What kind of things?" he asked and either it was my mind playing tricks on me or I actually heard a sliver of concern in his voice.

"Odd things, a lot or it doesn't make sense, though I think I figure things out with each new memory. The clothes and other things seem old even ancient in some memories, and in other memories their newer; it's kind of hard to establish a timeline." I explained as he nodded in understanding.

"But the weirdest thing is Sasuke, you're a part of everyone of my memories." I left the question unsaid, I didn't think it needed to be spoken; what were we to each other.

"No one really knows how exactly it works, it could be that it's your proximity to me, or our connection, the bond. There are hundreds of explanations." He answered, and I couldn't help but feel as if he was keeping things from me.

"That connection, our bond, it wasn't formed on the train that day was it?" I asked suspicion in my voice.

"So you've remembered huh?" he asked a small sad smile crossing his lips.

"Not exactly, no." I admitted, I still wasn't exactly sure what it was but I have my suspicions.

"So tell me then, what do you think it is?" he asked voice low, calculating.

"W-well...it seems to be like m-marriage actually." I stammered out a bright blush creeping up my face.

"Yes and no. It was originally a way for partners to boost their strengths, the bond would increase your strengths while the others are near; it became diluted and stopped having the desired effect. It became a form of marriage contract later, since many of the people who were bonded to each other became tightly connected or married; they figured that a marriage may lead to the bonds working again." He explained, I got the idea of what he meant; the bond only _could_ be seen as a marriage contract it wasn't necessarily one though.

"And which was it for us?" I asked after a brief moments hesitation, I watched him carefully for any signs of a lie; I probably wouldn't have been able to detect the lie but still I had to at least try.

"I know what it was to myself, but I could never tell what exactly it meant to you." He answered, as vague as possible in his usual form.

"So what was it for you?" I asked, it was an important question; what had we been, partners or lovers.

"I'll tell you that, what you tell me what I was to you." He answered, that made my breath catch; Sasuke wasn't the type to fool around it he'd only thought of me as a partner then he would have said so.

And then I recalled the focus of my last two flashbacks, maybe Sasuke wanted to think of it as more than partners but I didn't...and simply used him; I wondered not for the first time exactly what kind of person I was in my last life.

We lost ourselves in silence as Sasuke returned his focus to the road and my own thoughts journeyed back to the shards of memories I had regained, I decided that I would have to wait until I remembered more about myself before I could learn about him; I had figured that he was the one with all of the answers but I had been wrong, he knew about the people after us and how our abilities worked but he didn't know who I was; whoever I had been had kept that secret from him.

I still could remember what I had wanted to say in my memories of all those years ago.

* * *

_We've been on the move for a while now._

_Since we met with that first person we haven't met with anyone else yet; or at least no one that Kenji has been worried about._

_Speaking of Kenji I've been worried about him lately, he's been jumping at shadows even some that aren't there, he's become highly paranoid and I wish there were some way I could help him; if I still had my seals then maybe I would be able to do something._

_For the first time I wish I could remember, I wouldn't mind losing some memories; if it meant I could help Kenji._

_I thought I saw Yui yesterday, just a flash of pink in a crowd on the street; I haven't told Kenji though, he has more than enough to worry about as it is, besides it was probably just a scarf or something like that._

_I'm afraid._

_I don't know what to do anymore, I've already lost both of my friends; one replaced with a monster; the other best described as Kenji but not Kenji, they looked alike and they liked the same foods but there was little things that reminded me of the truth; my friends had been erased and I couldn't get them back._

* * *

It was the last entry, in this diary at least; I didn't actually know if Sasuke had one dated after it back in his home or not.

We had stopped at a gas station and I had taken the opportunity to take a quick read of Takeda's diary as Sasuke went to pay for the gas, the quick read had turned out to be surprisingly short; only blank pages followed the entry I'd just read.

I felt an odd sickness fill my stomach suddenly, it was a somehow familiar sensation.

A knocking at the window drew me from my thoughts and I realised exactly what the sick sensation was.

A giant of a man stood outside the car, he was wearing a bright white suit over a crisp black shirt, a royal blue tie was tightened messily around his collar.

"Come along quietly miss." He spoke as soon as I rolled down the window, I had hoped that like the last time we'd met outside Doctor Masons office that he wouldn't recognise me; my luck seemed to be particularly bad today.

I opened the door and stepped out of the car, plans that I knew wouldn't work raced through my mind as I tried to figure out what I should do; I had my weapons on my but I wasn't sure how I'd match up against this man, I still only could use a fraction of my powers; then there was the big question, where was Sasuke?

I was led into the shop and I saw Sasuke at the counter presumably paying for the gas, he turned sharply when we entered; in the matter of half a second Sasuke had drawn one of his revolvers from God knows where and I felt myself hoisted up my the man to be used as a human shield.

I knew Sasuke was a good shot but I suddenly felt very frightened, it didn't help when I heard the man in white let out a low chuckle; the man carelessly tossed me aside, luckily though a large stack of some new flavour of pot noodle of something broke my fall.

I noticed that Sasuke had lowered his gun and had a vaguely annoyed expression on his face.

"Looks like Shikamaru got you; I gotta say I'm disappointed Uchiha, the way Shikamaru worked to plan this out I was expecting more." Gloated the man seeming quite pleased with himself.

"Shikamaru Nara, one of the shadow users?" I heard Sasuke question an eyebrow raising gracefully; I mentally shouted for him to just shoot already.

"That's right. You know what that means right, you can't escape once he's hooked your shadow." Answered the man in white with a smile on his face.

"Hinata, shoot at me!" Sasuke spoke calmly authority in his tone, I didn't hesitate; if I didn't know Sasuke like I did I would have hesitated, but I knew Sasuke and every word Sasuke spoke was carefully chosen for its purpose; the 'at' meant that Sasuke had a plan.

I managed only one shot before the gun was ripped from my hand; the bullet didn't make it to Sasuke, it stopped just an inch before reaching his body; it only stopped there a moment though before it shot off again piercing the fuse box to his left.

Everything went dark.

I wondered how he had managed it, seeing as he claimed to only be capable of pulling and pushing me metal, I made a mental note to ask him if we survived.

There were several shouts of pain and several gunshots before I felt myself once more gapped hauled outside, I had a split second to catch a glimpse of Sasuke, eyes scarlet red, as we exited the shop before Sasuke quickly shot out the outside lights too.

I wondered if those red eyes allowed him to see in the pitch dark as I was none to gently shoved into our car, before I even had time to gather my wits Sasuke had hit the accelerator...without turning on the headlights.

Ten minutes later Sasuke finally slowed down and hit the lights, I was still a little dazed and had to take a moment to gather my wits.

"What happened?" I asked examining the Uchiha next to me; there were a couple of bullet holes in his jacket but there was only a small trace of blood on his upper arm, I guessed that the man had fired off a few pot shots when the lights cut out.

"The big guys dead, I didn't go after his partner; too dangerous on his own territory." He answered, I gasped in shock at the statement; there had only been a single of the louder harsher bangs that I had recognised as Sasuke's gun firing when we were in the shop.

"How'd you get free?" I had realised that he had somehow been trapped, I just didn't understand how the lights going off helped him.

"The Nara clan are Shadow users, among other things they can bind your movements by linking their shadows to yours. No light means no shadows, no more binding." He explained, I noted that his eyes had returned to their regular inky black.

"How about your new trick, how'd you change the direction of the bullet?" I asked my heart beat finally returning to its normal rate.

"That was mostly out of convenience, I wouldn't be able to repeat it again unless it was on another fuse box or electrical item." He answered causing he to frown, he had gotten me to shoot at him when he only had a hunch that he could affect the bullet.

I suddenly wanted to slap the man...hard.

* * *

Alright a little short I'll admit but I've got plenty of work to do at college...most of which I've been finding excuses to put off. Just not enough hours in the day really you know.

Well anyway I hope you enjoy and find it in your heart to review, I'd actually like to take this opportunity to thank all of my reviewers; you guys make this story possible with your feedback. Like I'd write if I weren't getting reviews ;)

R&R


	12. Chapter 12: Troubled Angel

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Chapter Twelve;

* * *

We had abandoned the car at the first town we passed through, Sasuke had said we'd be caught if we used it for any longer than was absolutely necessary; he had spent a couple of minutes rigging up what he called a 'surprise' for whomever found the car.

He had made me leave behind anything that he deemed as unnecessary; I now only carried weapons, ammunition and Takeda's journal, the journal was tucked into the waistband of my jeans and pressed up against my back rather uncomfortably; I didn't want to leave it behind though or have Sasuke notice it so I ignored the mild discomfort.

Sasuke had abandoned his black duster, I presumed because of the rather conspicuous bullet holes decorating it, and now only wore his heavy royal blue ribbed jumper and his jeans; not exactly choice clothing for the frosty cold weather; surprisingly he had attached his sword to his waist instead of hiding it, his twin hand canons were also now easily visible in their leather holsters beneath each arm.

"Shouldn't you cover those up Sasuke?" I asked feeling a little silly already, surely the man hadn't not thought of his exposed weapons and how they might attract attention.

"Don't worry, my weapons have specially crafted runes to hide their presence from normal people. Besides I'll likely need to have them in easy reach." He answered walking away from the car his footfalls inaudible, I followed behind him quietly; we were in a multi-story car park, Sasuke had insisted that we abandon the car high up; something about it being more difficult to trace.

"Are you expecting them to catch up with us?" I asked feeling the first twinge of apprehension course through me, I didn't want to admit it but I had been seriously frightened when I had thought that Sasuke was caught; and now him preparing his weapons for the quickest possible response set off a similar fear.

I knew he had an A Rank seal but how much did that really mean; could he match two people with my seal level maybe three; how many assassins could he fight off at once, how many could he fight off if he was worrying about and protecting me?

"They'll catch us, I just forced the Nara to kill his own comrade; he'll come after me with everything he has." Retorted Sasuke removing the gun under his right arm, ejecting the single used case and reloading it; I wondered if it was just him being picky or if he suspected that one bullet may make a difference when had to fight next, that only helped raise my worries.

"You what?" I asked, I was unsure exactly how Sasuke could have done that.

"I didn't aim to kill the man, I aimed to paralyze him." He stated simply.

"And his partner would kill him for that?" I asked shocked, and slightly horrified; if Sasuke knew they'd react like that then why did he aim like that.

"Yes, it's the cruel code of Konoha; they kill the severely wounded so that they will be reborn strong again." Sasuke explained; I wasn't sure if I wanted to ask why he made them do it so, I thought I already knew the answer.

Was it a threat plain and simple, a deterrent for those who might go after him; or did he hate them because they were a part of Konoha and only sought to hurt them for that.

"What are we going to do?" I asked my voice barely above a whisper.

"You're going to hide, and I'm going to take care of our _friends_." Spoke Sasuke in a tone that left no room for argument, his words meant either one of two things; that he wouldn't be able to fight them and protect me at the same time or that he didn't want me to see what was about to happen.

Somehow I feared it was the latter.

And I feared that once again Sasuke would find enjoyment in the fight; there was just something dangerous glinting in his eye, not an unrefined animal bloodlust but worse; they were the eyes of a man happy for the excuse to end a life.

But maybe I shouldn't judge too harshly, these people wouldn't be dying in the traditional sense and maybe this excitement wasn't as natural as it appeared; the man was an immortal and had been in life or death situations likely more times than I could imagine, perhaps the hunger in his eyes was his copping mechanism to keep his mind from shattering.

Or maybe I was simply a foolish girl in love making excuses to pardon a clearly dangerous man who most likely wouldn't have asked for forgiveness himself.

"Do you enjoy it? The fighting." I asked, my mouth and mind apparently suffering from a breakdown of communication of some sort; he turned to face me our eyes meeting and our consciences seemingly entwining with one another; I wasn't sure when but I found myself holding my breath, even as a burning sensation began to fill my chest I couldn't bring myself to breath out for fear of breaking whatever it was we were now sharing.

I bit my lip and continued to hold my breath desperately as his eyes seemed to probe deeper and deeper into the ether of my soul.

"Yes." He answered, the spell cracking and shattering under his severe honesty.

"Does that bother you?" he asked moving a slight bit forward, or maybe I was imagining it; a smirk trailed across his lips as he leaned over me, once again I was under another of the Uchiha's carefully woven spells; I was certain he knew exactly what he did to me.

I felt a blush ignite my face as he seemed to move even closer to me, his dark eyes seemed to look deeper and I could swear he was somehow using magnetism to draw me closer.

I stammered searching for an answer.

"I don't know." I finally settled on after a moment feeling oh so proud of myself, I quickly turned from him hoping to save myself from further embarrassment as I began walking again.

I stopped after five steps when I didn't hear him following behind me.

"It's not something that developed in my Nature if that's what you're thinking." He spoke solemnly and steadily.

"W-what?" I couldn't keep the stammer out of my voice this time as I asked my simple question, he seemed to have actually read my mind.

"It didn't appear over time, I've always taken a dark pleasure in fighting." He answered his voice cold and I knew he was telling the truth; as to why he was telling me I didn't understand though.

"Does it bother you? Knowing that." He whispered quietly into my ear; I hadn't noticed him move, hadn't realised that he was right behind me until I felt his breath caress the inner shell of my ear.

"You already know, don't you?" I returned, he had known me in the past…we had been something and surely this question must have come up.

"No, I don't." came his curt reply as he moved in front of me walking with a purposeful stride again towards the car parks exit.

Mentally relieved I trailed after him.

"You claimed to love me once, but you would never tell me whether you loved me including that aspect of my nature or if you loved me in spite of the darker side of my nature." He continued a moment later shocking me a little.

"What's the difference?" I asked, I didn't really understand such semantics; Love was after all love.

"You can't love someone in spite of something. That's not how love works. Claiming such a thing to be love is nothing short of a lie." Answered Sasuke shocking me more profoundly.

Of all the people I'd suspect to have strong idealistic views on love the Uchiha was at the very bottom; I couldn't lie and not say I didn't find it appealing though.

We walked on in silence.

* * *

_The room wasn't overly large but it held a cramped feel due to the décor; exotic flowers of red and purple tones cluttered the room along with various sculptures of famous legends of the order in varying states of undress; their state reflected the purpose of the room itself._

_We had all lined up neatly according to our skill level; I was in the middle, closer to the high end rather than the low; Naruto I noticed was almost at the top and I pretended not to notice the Uchiha standing stoic at the very top, naturally his pink haired companion right beside him._

_We were all in varying states of undress just like the statues, most of the men had only a small clothe wrap around their waist though some had opted for more and others…less; I wore the small purple yugata they had provided me, it was low cut and ended at my upper thigh so if I was careful I could thankfully keep my modesty intact; other women didn't show the same concern for modesty wearing a cloth similar to the men's or nothing at all._

_It was time, all of our training and grunt work had been complete and we would be considered full members of the Order and attain Jonin rank; it took a long time to achieve this status, usually those born into a clan stayed and worked within that clan instead of the Order._

_I only went to the trouble of becoming Jonin rank within the Order to help my clans reputation; Naruto I knew would have done it to gain a B rank seal; the order wouldn't give another seal to a Clan member unless they reached Anbu rank, I wondered if that was what Sasuke was after._

_I didn't want to consider why else he might be in such a dangerous program with me if that wasn't his plan._

_We were now at the initiation phase and there would be one final test, when a group reached Jonin level one of them was selected by the Hokage…for their usage._

_The Hokage's A+ seal would kill anyone that they were intimate with, this was the cruel and macabre rite of passage to sate the Hokage's lust; of course there was a huge smokescreen made up, claims that the victim was actually being sacrificed to God and hence it was some noble cause._

_Surprisingly only a select few of us were not stupid enough to believe that._

_Still we had little choice in the matter and we had all lined up at the ready; I was reasonably sure that I wouldn't be chosen, the Hokage at this time was the princess Tsunade and she only chose men…mostly anyway._

_She wouldn't pick any of the highly skilled men, they were too valuable to the order in the long run; I tried to pretend that I wasn't relieved, knowing that _he_ wouldn't be chosen either._

_The Hokage entered into the room regal as always, her body guards were as ominous as ever; I noticed a tall silver haired man I recognised, well not exactly; he knew Sasuke somehow and Naruto too, though I had never actually found out how they knew the man._

_Slowly the blonde woman examined us one by one and I felt an icy tremor jolt down my spine as her deep honey eyes landed on me; I could feel the warning deep inside me, my seals understood the threat that this woman posed._

_I feared my heart would stop when she paused before me, turning to give me a critical look._

"_In order to return honour to the Hyuuga, Hiashi Hyuuga personally asked me to use you, Hinata Hyuuga, for our most noble tradition." The horribly beautiful woman spoke, slowly testing and tasting each syllable on her tongue as they came._

_Everyone else in the room suddenly seemed carefully relieved as far as I could see, I wasn't faring so well._

_My stomach felt as if it had fallen into some deep chasm and was slowly dragging the rest of me with it; I felt my body react as if I were merely an onlooker, I recognised this as my mind separating itself from my desperate reality already; my lips parted slowly, my eyes widened a small fraction and my face drained of any colour it had._

"_What do you think of this, Hi-na-ta?" asked the blonde goddess leaning in closer to me, I felt her breath pass over my cheek until her mouth finally reached my ear; I felt her tongue slither out and flick my ear lobe; I felt one of her hands tug free the knot allowing my yugata to fall open; I did nothing to stop her, I was suddenly resigned to my fate._

_I didn't care about modesty anymore, when faced with my looming death it didn't matter to me; I felt the blonde push the yugata from my shoulders where it feel to the floor abandoned, the Hokage stepped back to examine what she'd just un-veiled._

_I don't know why I hadn't expected this really, of course the clan would use me like this; using me this way was a much better way to cleanse the Hyuuga's name than anything I could possibly do alive; it was Sasuke's fault too of course, the Uchiha had doomed not only my sister but also myself._

_I wonder if he was proud of himself._

"_Tch, it sounds pathetic to me." I knew the voice better than any other in the world but still it took me a moment to recognise it._

_I was more shocked that someone had spoken up; that just didn't happen in these kind of affairs, it was suicide, painful suicide and it wouldn't do anything anyway._

_The Hokage didn't share my hesitance and quickly turned her attention from me; stalking quickly over to the dark man who had gone so far as to step out of the line too; unlike the rest of us who cowered back and avoided eye contact with the powerful woman who was setting off our seals, now more so than ever since the man had spoken, the dark spiky haired man stood tall over the Hokage and looked down on his nose at her._

"_You care to elaborate boy?" the woman ground out, staring up at the man; none of us were in doubt of who held the power in this position in fact I could feel others in the room shake at the woman's tone._

"_A sacrifice like that would be an insult. This is a sacrifice to God isn't it? If so you should use the best possible right." Explained the man in a dry tone as if he were explaining something to a particularly slow child._

_I finally realised that it was Sasuke that was antagonising the Hokage._

_And then I realised he was trying to make her use him instead of me._

_His friends looked as stunned as I must have; the silver haired man seemed more shocked than anything else, though a terrible sadness and disappointment reflected from his one visible eye; I don't think it was disappointed at Sasuke but just the situation itself._

_Naruto looked shocked too but more than that I could see him plotting behind his eyes, already he was thinking of how to save his friend or perhaps he was only debating whether or not to immediately start screaming and shouting…or maybe that's just what I was considering._

_The pink haired second in our group didn't seem to even feel shock, her gaze immediately set itself on me; anger, hatred and blame all seemed to smoother me at once, and I wish I could say that I knew whether I was interpreting her feelings or simply realising my own instead._

"_It sounds like your offering yourself Uchiha." Concluded the Hokage and I was suddenly certain that if I started screaming she wouldn't have noticed me now; Sasuke had led himself fearlessly to the slaughter and more than taking away from the trill of a challenge the Uchiha had created a whole new game for the sadistic woman._

_I had been told that she liked to prey on fear; my meekness and the promises of the Hyuuga certainly allowed for a huge potential there, to frighten and torture me, but it would be too easy to scare me; Sasuke on the other hand was daring her to try and break him._

_And she would…eventually._

_Hiashi Hyuuga, my clan head and older brother the man had practically raised me and acted as a surrogate father; he had thrown me to the wolves while I worked diligently in his name._

_I had cursed Sasuke, accused him of horrible unfair things and straight up professed my hatred of him; he was trading his life for mine._

_This shouldn't be happening._

"_I am, what do you think of that Tsu-na-de?" the Uchiha spoke parroting her earlier tone, the blonde woman couldn't look more pleased._

_I wanted to scream._

"_You'll do nicely I think." Purred the woman slowly trailing a finger down from the man's collarbone to his hip circling lazily around his navel and pausing just as she reached the clothe covering his man hood, she lazily licked her lips and hooked her finger under the material; I noticed Sasuke's brow tighten and realised that the woman was already exerting her power over him, powerful as he may have been with in our ranks Sasuke was completely eclipsed by this woman's sheer presence alone._

"_I'll send for you when the time is right." that was the woman's parting words as she disappeared in a fanciful flourish with her private guard; only Sasuke seemed calm as the other initiates disappeared and I quickly redressed, of the three of us that remained with him in the now empty and suddenly cold room each seemed to amplify and express only a single emotion._

"_Why Sasuke!" she spoke first, it wasn't eloquent but it was a damn good question._

"_That's…none of your concern." Returned the dark Uchiha, he didn't even bother to turn to face the woman; even in his last moments in life the man didn't seem capable of giving the pink haired girl the attention she craved so deeply._

"_Why would you go so far for her Sasuke?" asked the girl stepping closer to the man and gripping him my the collar…it was an eerily familiar scene but somehow I couldn't place it at this moment, a mental block of some sort._

"…" _he remained silent as I noticed the angry tears began to race down the girls delicate cheeks; she suddenly loosened her grip and stepped back from Sasuke, a resolute expression plastered on her features._

"_I'm going to ask Lady Tsunade to use me in your place." Spoke the woman, only I seemed shocked at her declaration; then again these particular three and extreme gestures went together rather seamlessly._

_And then the pinkette was off, doing what I was certain I should have been doing myself._

"_So you're leaving us?" I had opened my mouth to speak, what I was going to actually say I have no idea, but the blonde had beat me to the punch; the look in his eyes alone had me taken aback, he looked deeply betrayed and hurt; I suppose that it made sense really, Naruto had been bonded to Sasuke, he had the most right to be upset now._

_Somehow it left a bad taste in my mouth, knowing that Naruto had more of a right to Sasuke's last moments than I did; Naruto had been my first love surely I should be happy with this turn of events…from a purely logical point of view at least, Naruto would bond again and a man I hated was being executed in my place._

_It wouldn't make sense if I actually hated him._

_But at any rate I shouldn't be jealous of Naruto simply because of the way Sasuke looked at him; it wasn't a romantic look…or at least I don't think it was, those lines seemed blurry at time's though._

"_Just for a little while." Answered Sasuke, and I almost believed him; I was beginning to feel guilt for invading their privacy; but I couldn't bring myself to leave now, if I did then I may never get the chance to say what I needed to him._

_Naruto it seemed was content with just that promise alone; he smiled grabbed the dark haired slightly taller man in an awkward, on Sasuke's part anyway, embrace and left; I was a little shocked at that trust myself, surely Sasuke was only joking, nobody had come back from this rite before; or no one ever came back as they were supposed to be anyway._

_Some never were seen again at all, others there were reports of…ghosts of them appearing in places; their seal signatures appeared sometimes in people who clearly had no seals, others looked exactly like there old selves some even had a seal to link them to the missing person; but nobody ever came back with their memories intact or all their seals, they came back damaged mentally and sometimes physically._

_Naruto left us alone together, it was my turn now; my last chance to tell him the truth._

_I met the Uchiha's resigned gaze._

"_Sasuke…I…"_

* * *

I gasped coming awake suddenly, I was shocked to find myself being carried on Sasukes back, it took me a moment to shake away the disorientation of the memory come dream and realise that I was feeling some minor discomfort in my lower stomach; Sasuke set me down on my slightly unstable legs.

"Can you walk?" asked Sasuke removing his stabilising hand and leaving me to stand on my own, his attention wasn't focused on me though but on our surroundings.

"I think so yeah." I answered ignoring the mild headache I recognised as a familiar companion to regaining a flash from my memories.

"Good, the shadow user and his reinforcements will be here soon, I want you to meet up with me at the bus station." Explained the Uchiha giving me directions, I didn't listen to them.

"Alright Sasuke, good luck." I decided to take an extra little risk and reached up on the tips of my toes, grabbed the back of his head and gave him a quick peck on the lips…or at least I had aimed for his lips; I wasn't quite tall enough and he hadn't leaned down so I had actually kissed him on the chin.

I jogged lightly down the alleyway Sasuke had gestured to, giggling to myself despite my bright blush because I had noticed the slight quirk of the man's lips when he thought that I wasn't looking.

I didn't continue to the end of the alley though as I stealthily ducked down behind some trash cans; silently I crept back to the mouth of the alleyway; I watched Sasuke idly take several steps forward before he calmly sat down cross legged, he moved his sword to rest across his lap.

I took a hold of my own weapons, both of my guns had returned to their places after I had left Anneil's cabin; I wondered not for the first time exactly what she'd done to me.

We waited, together but apart, ready to act; it occurred to me that he had sent me away most likely to protect me and I had stayed to protect him, we were fighting for each other it seemed.

* * *

Okay I'm going to end it here for this week, hope everyone's still enjoying this story, if you've got any questions please ask away I'm happy to answer.

I thought I'd also give a special thank you to my reviewers, so in no particular order;

Thank you too;

**Echo Uchiha; **Thank you for all the support(I think you were actually my first reviewer on this story), as to my penname just felt it was time for a change and I'd been re-watching gundam wing at the time so. Btw your review for chapter ten gave me a good laugh.

**cheh; **Thank you for your support, I haven't gotten a review from you for a while actually so I hope that doesn't mean you've went off the story or anything.

**Sqidly; **Thank you for your support and kind words.

**blackangel1998; **Thank you for your support I'll try and update as often as possible.

**female-human-being; **Thank you for your support and kind words.

**nem; **Thank you for your support and kind words.

**Wind upon the Sea; **Thank you for your support and advise.

**SatiricFable; **Thank you for your support and kind words.

**sisdel; **Thank you for your support and kind words.

**sharebearthedeathbear; **Thank you for your support and kind words.

**Aya; **Thank you for your support, I hope that your continuing to enjoy the story and I'd be very interested to know what you've figured out or guessed about both Sasuke and Hinata's pasts.

**Lady sweet pink; **Thank you for your support and kind words.

**tamaosonokokoro-Riza; **Thank you for your support, I very much enjoyed reading your review and hearing your feedback and opinions and I look forward to hopefully another review like that by the end of me little tale.

**FallenRaindrops; **Thank you for your support, and look on the bright side; you got to read a lot of it all at once instead of having to wait for me to ration it out week by week.

**AkaruiGekkou; **Thank you for your support and kind words.

**Fan; **Thank you for your support and kind words.

**And any anonymous Reviewers; **Thank you for your support and kind words.

Please review…I love them so.

R&R


	13. Chapter 13: Drifting Angel

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Chapter Thirteen;

* * *

I was expecting a more explosive beginning to the battle, I didn't get that exciting opening; instead a plain but expensive looking black sedan pulled up and three men stepped out; the driver I recognised by his pristine white double crested suit and dark hair tied up in a ponytail as the dead large man's former partner, he seemed calm and collected despite the danger I felt radiating from him.

Another of the men I recognised as the police officer who had visited me asking about Sasuke; he looked far less composed then his comrade seeming to have an animal fury attached to the way he stalked towards Sasuke, he wore the same or at least a similar uniform to before but had some kind bizarre face paint on; the third man to leave the car couldn't exactly be called composed like the first man as he seemed to be just vacant instead, sunglasses and a hood prevented me from telling much else about him.

All three were heavily armed; I spotted two machine pistols attached to the belt of the pony tailed man; the officer carried a revolver, similar to the ones Sasuke carried but slightly different in shape, on his belt and what looked like a shotgun slung over his back; except for the plain looking handgun held by the third man he didn't appear to be carrying any other weapons, I didn't let that fool me though.

I got an ominous feeling from these men, I suddenly didn't want to know exactly what Sasuke's limit was; Sasuke himself seemed unnaturally composed simply standing and reattaching his sword to his belt, no fear darkened his face and there was no coiled tension in his back.

"Where's your comrade?" asked the ponytailed man taking the lead, I recognised that they were talking about me now.

"You shouldn't concern yourself with such questions Nara. Right now all you should be worried about is me." Threatened Sasuke his presence suddenly changing from calm and relaxed to his more familiar intimidating harsh one.

Somehow it was comforting.

"That's a bold statement Uchiha, it's three to one!" growled out the police officer…somehow I wouldn't have been particularly surprised if the man suddenly got down on all fours and started barking.

"Kiba!" cut the ponytailed man his voice sounding oddly scolding.

"He's got more than two seals…he couldn't have killed Choji like that if he didn't, you should be able to tell that." Commented the ponytailed man to the police officer- Kiba; Kiba for his part scrunched up his nose and sniffed the air hesitantly before snarling and glowering darkly at the Uchiha.

"Shikamaru, I smell a Snake." For a moment I was slightly amazed, had that man been able to tell the shape of Sasuke's seal from smell; or was the 'snake' comment a reference to something else.

"I don't recall killing Choji." Offered Sasuke, I saw the pony tailed man's brow tighten at the comment.

"You may as well have." Returned the man, Nara as Sasuke was calling him.

"So self-defence is a crime now?" prompted the Uchiha taking a couple of steps to his left almost leisurely he ignored the other two and focused only on the ponytailed man.

"You know that's not what you did. What are you getting at Uchiha?" demanded the pony tailed man.

"You're a pretty smart guy from what I've heard, but you seem ignorant to me. I know exactly what I did Nara, do you know what you do though? You hunt people down and murder them simply because they won't bleed and die for Konoha." Answered Sasuke, a genuine fury lined his words and it shocked me for a moment.

"Don't get self-righteous on me you son of a bitch, I serve my Order out of loyalty, faith and understanding; we have reasons for the dark things we must occasionally do." Returned Nara no less passionately.

"You reasons of course being greed and arrogance…there's no alternative then; when two men meet in battle believing they are right and just…one of those men must die." Spoke Sasuke with a chilling resolve underlying his voice.

"Yes Uchiha, one man will die today." Agreed Nara.

Quietly I heard Sasuke chuckle; I saw his right hand ghost to the handle of his blade, all three of the men raised their weapons ready to fire and the snow began to fall.

Slowly small crystalline flakes filled the night shy; there was no howling wind or anything else one would associate with a snow storm, only the light icy powder raining down on the four men.

It felt inappropriate I thought.

And then I felt my mind swim as the image of Sasuke facing forward became nothing more than a blurred watery image.

Desperately I begged my mind 'Not now, not now'; as the world began to fall away I heard gunshots ring out, men scream and shout furiously at one another and the lightning's furious crackle and screech.

* * *

"_Sometimes I wonder if I'm actually alive." Spoke the Uchiha as I stumbled over my words, my tongue twisting gracelessly around the syllables as my mind tore itself apart in search of the words I wanted to say._

"_W-what?" my long dead and forgotten lisp had returned and my eloquence and vocabulary had been seemingly misplaced but I didn't care, not right know._

"_I feel like maybe it's all been just a dream, or a nightmare; so many years and all I can seem to recall is pain and dying, again and again." He continued his eyes were glassy as if he actually were in a waking dream._

"_Sasuke, what the hell are you talking about?" it was the first thing I'd said to him in nearly twelve years, I was a little disappointed with myself._

"_I'm just talking to myself Hinata, was there something you wanted?" his voice wasn't cold like I expected it to be; like I wanted it to be, if he were angry or spiteful then this would be easier._

"_I-I wanted to know w-why?" I asked, there were a lot of other things I wanted to ask him and this may be my last chance; but this one was the most important of them._

"_I don't know why Hinata." He answered me honesty ripe in his voice, he stepped a little closer to me and placed his hands on my shoulders._

_I let him._

"_They say that our seals understand the truth far better than we ever can; when I thought she was going to choose you I suddenly felt terrified, more frightened than I have ever felt before. My seals were screaming at me to move, to do something." He explained, one of us had moved and we were closer now; but I didn't know if it was him who moved or if I had._

"_When she chose me instead I didn't feel any fear…I felt relieved and a calmness in my seals, for the first time I felt right; at peace." He spoke and I realised that our faces were mere inches apart now, our bodies were pressed against one another._

"_What is that supposed to mean Sasuke; you're going to die tonight and I-I…" I gasped and clutched at the words I so desperately wanted to say but couldn't get out._

"_Say it Hinata." He prompted softly._

"_I…I don't want you to go." It was only half of what I wanted to say, and he knew it._

_I felt him pull me close and I rested my head in the crook of his neck, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall; there was a loud clamber as one of the rooms decorative doors opened, the silver haired man entered the room._

"_Sasuke it's time." Spoke the man solemnly, unlike Sasuke's other two close friends this man didn't seem to bear me any ill will; and suddenly just like that Sasuke had let go of me and began to walk away, I felt cold…outside and in._

"_S-Sasuke I-I." I heard my voice crack as I tried one last time to tell him how I felt, even if it betrayed the memory of my sister; even if I was supposed to hate him instead._

"_I'm not going to die Hinata, I'm going to see if I can wake up from this nightmare." Called back the Uchiha, he didn't pause in his step or turn to look at me; he didn't rush back to me for one last kiss._

_He just walked away._

* * *

I regained consciousness to the noise of gunfire, slowly and carefully I crept towards the mouth of the alleyway and caught sight of the on-going battle; the street was covered in snow now, I was too actually come to think of it; I first noticed Sasuke, he was in the centre of the three and seemed to be mostly unhurt but I did see a flash of red on the left side of his torso.

His three opponents were also mostly unharmed with only minor cuts decorating them, they seemed particularly cautious to avoid getting close to the Uchiha avoiding close attacks and keeping the dark haired man busy with a flurry of gunfire; Sasuke for his part seemed only interested in the ponytailed man moving carefully closer to him.

Somehow I got the feeling that Sasuke was winning, after all they could only fire so many bullets before they ran out.

I was content to hang back until suddenly the imposter police officer, Kiba, quirked his head to stare directly at me; I felt my blood run cold for a minute as a wicked animalistic grin spread across his features.

"Shikamaru, I've spotted his accomplice." Shouted Kiba, I heard Sasuke swear harshly.

"Don't break formation Kiba!" roared the ponytailed man; Kiba however didn't seem to be paying any heed to his comrade as he began to bound towards me like a wolf on the hunt.

Things began moving faster now, the man-wolf Kiba continued to race toward me; Sasuke had stopped chasing the shadow man and was now sprinting toward Kiba at a breakneck speed; the hooded man moved to intercept Sasuke and the final man in the white suit made an odd hand sign but otherwise didn't move.

For my own part I had drawn my own guns and fired at my attacker, he dodged the shots easily and I felt a cold sweat trickle down my back.

Then Sasuke showed me exactly why those three had been so cautious, just as the last bullet I had fired passed harmlessly by Kiba's head the bullet changed direction moving unnaturally at a ninety degree angle and directly into the fake Officers skull; a look of absolute shock and horror was the last thing I saw on his face before the bullet crashed out the other side of his head.

The hooded man stood behind Sasuke his back to the dark man, there was a soft thud as the barrel of the man's gun fell to the ground and a sharp clack as Sasuke sheathed his still blade; the hooded man crumbled falling into the dyed snow bisected at the hips.

Two of them in mere seconds, how frightening.

The snow continued to fall slowly burying the bodies, the remaining man in white, Shikamaru, stood alone facing Sasuke; somehow he didn't seem afraid.

"And here I thought that I wouldn't be able to catch you twice." Spoke the well-dressed man casting a solemn glace at the remains of his comrades. I suddenly realised why Sasuke wasn't moving, he'd been caught by the man's shadow technique helping me.

At the same time both Shikamaru and I raised our weapons; Sasuke simply raised his empty hand mimicking Shikamaru, I was aiming for the shadow man and he had his weapon levelled for Sasuke's head.

It was a bad position, the man had nothing to lose; his order would simply find him again, maybe it'd take twenty years or so but he'd be back; if Sasuke died I would surely soon follow and they'd find and capture us while we were defence-less.

Suddenly I heard Sasuke begin to chuckle lowly to himself, surprise splayed across the Nara's face and I'm certain that my face reflected something similar.

"Is that what you think happened?" asked Sasuke his voice dark and intimidating, even though he hadn't aimed his question at me I had to fight not to visibly recoil.

"Your trapped Uchiha, quit your bluffing." Returned the Nara with a snarl, then his eyes widened for a brief moment and he collapsed.

I held my breath for a moment not quite comprehending what exactly I'd just witnessed, then I glanced at Sasuke; I saw the single tear of blood trailing down his cheek from his right eye and I knew that Sasuke had done…something.

Whatever it was obviously wasn't enough though as with his mobility restored the Uchiha quickly drew one of his guns and fired a shot into the fallen man; then he started down the alley, I followed at his heels.

"Your hurt." I commented after a couple of minutes, after we were far enough away from the recently deceased that I wouldn't have to worry about throwing up when I opened my mouth.

"It's nothing to worry about." He brushed off my concern nonchalantly as if he'd been scratched my a kitten, not shot in his side.

"At least let me have a look Sasuke." I protested spotting a bench nearby and dragging the injured man with me; surprisingly me didn't argue with me, just gave in with a soft sigh. I examined the wound to amazingly find the skin already beginning to knit itself shut.

"This wound happened just now didn't it?" I asked confused.

"I heal quickly." He spoke by way of an answer, at my sceptical look he tapped his left forearm and I understood the hint; a regeneration effect was part of his Snake seal, made sense I supposed.

"The bullets still lodged in there though, it's got to come out." I commented, and then proceeded to choke when he drew his knife and handed it to me. It wasn't ideal but I decided to try it anyway, there was something expectant in Sasuke's gaze that I didn't want to disappoint.

"How did you do it?" I asked suddenly hopping to distract him from the pain, he should definitely be on some medication right now.

"Do what?" he asked in return seeming a little confused.

"Come back…I've been remembering some things, and…it seemed like you were sacrificed or something, instead of me." I didn't have to say any more as he interrupted with an 'ah' of recognition.

"So you've remembered that incident." He commented a ghost of a smile gracing his face.

I awaited his answer.

"I came back for you Hinata."

* * *

"_Stay away!" shouted the blonde man, Naruto a voice in my head whispered, he moved forward stepping defensively in front of the other man in the alley way; I couldn't make out the other man's features due to the hood and sunglasses he wore, yet I knew exactly who he was._

"_Naruto…what are you doing?" I asked the man, clearly confused about…something._

"_What the hell does it look like I'm doing Hinata, I'm taking him away." Answered the blonde man eying me carefully, no doubt he was stretching out his senses to check the area._

"_Why?" I asked, I thought it was a fair question, after all my first love was putting himself in mortal danger and fleeing with what was left of my second love…there were other parts of this oddity that I simply preferred _not_ to think about._

"_The hell do you mean why? Do you know what she did to him?" demanded the ferocious man; I saw the other man shiver likely in fear at his words, the motion couldn't have been any more alien for his body; or at least it should have been._

"_What does it matter Naruto, he's a ghost; don't throw your life away for hi-" I didn't get to finish what I was going to say, I was cut off by the audible crunch of his fist connecting with my cheek._

"_Don't you dare!" he growled lowly, eye's red and I realised that he still blamed me._

_Because that idiot thought he could play hero without any consequences; I even almost believed it too when I saw him again, both of his seals working; but he couldn't remember and he became a goddamn ghost._

"_Y-you hit me." I whispered shocked to the core, I hadn't known Naruto to be anything less than completely chivalrous before now; did this ghost of a dead man mean so much to him._

_Should I be the one taking Sasuke away…no, it wouldn't do any good; Sasuke wasn't coming back, whatever was standing before me now was nothing more than a cruel joke of fates._

"_Hinata…if you come after us again, or talk about him like that; I will kill you." Promised Naruto and I knew that he meant it, and worse than my body I knew that he was threatening my very soul._

_Try as I might I couldn't shake the feeling that something horrible was going to happen to them, and I was playing a part in that by not helping._

* * *

Okay folks that's chapter 13, it's kinda short and it's a little late but that's sadly due to a misbehaving laptop; please get back to me with your comments and feedback, I love to hear it.

Once again sorry for the delay.

Chapter 14 should be up within ten minutes to make things up to you. :)

R&R


	14. Chapter 14: Broken Angel

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Chapter Fourteen;

* * *

We were going to take a bus the rest of the way back to the city; Sasuke made a phone call to the Masons and told them to move to another safe house, it was a brief call and he didn't mention why he thought they needed to move; the first bus wasn't due to leave for another hour and a half yet so we had taken shelter in the 24 hour dinner next to the station.

"So why are we going back to the city now, instead of back to the cabin?" I asked the silent man sitting across from me; he was hunched over the table both of his elbows resting on it's off white surface, his rough fingers were entwined and hovered just slightly before his lips; his guns were wrapped up in his jumper and sat snuggly in the booth seat next to him, his sword- the one that would be invisible to the casual observer- was also next to him, propped up at an odd angle in the tight space.

"I've got a bad feeling, it's difficult to explain." Answered Sasuke a slight frown marring his pale features.

"Well, please try anyway." I tried to give him the most comforting smile I could, he rewarded my effort with an almost melodramatic sigh and a wolfish grin of his own; I tried not to blush, before he could say anything else however a 'big boned' waitress with a whisper of a moustache strolled over to our table.

"What can I get ya dears?" asked the woman, Pam according to her name tag.

My friend Ino works as a waitress in a coffee shop and she made a list of particular drinks and what exactly they told you about the drinker; any kind of soft drink meant a child at heart, someone innocent; cappuccino suited the elegant, sensual and seductive; espresso's were for people in a rush, rarely did someone not decked in a business suit order one of these; Hot chocolate was the romantics drink, it should only ever be ordered in pairs anyone ordering this drink and sitting alone was just pitiful really; Mocha orders symbolised a scattered mind; tea was for the old soul and coffee was for the average soul.

"Coffee, black." Ordered Sasuke without even turning to acknowledge the waitress; Coffee of course was boring unless it was taken without any condiments, then it was mysterious; Black coffee Ino told me symbolised a walking question mark.

"Tea please." I ordered offering the woman a polite smile after Sasuke's rudeness; the woman simply snorted, jotted down our orders and retreated back to front counter.

"You look cute like that." I didn't quite believe my ears at first as Sasuke uttered his complement.

"Eh, sorry what did you say?" I asked my tone confused and slightly shocked.

"It's cute, your hair like that." He clarified looking away from me towards the counter, I glanced over to and saw Pam approaching with our drinks.

"Oh, thank you." I had tied my hair into a low ponytail, it wasn't something I did often but it had been a couple of days longer than I would have liked since I had washed my hair and while purely cosmetic but it helped.

It felt odd though; just being here with Sasuke sipping a scalding cup of tea and being told I looked cute, it seemed unusually weird after everything I'd experienced with Sasuke since we'd met; I decided to enjoy it while I could, normal and Sasuke didn't exactly go in the same sentence very often.

"Have you been getting headaches lately, with your visions?" he asked softly surprising me once again, Sasuke also wasn't the one to start a conversation very often.

"Only for a little while, after I get one." I answered, I had noticed the mild migraine that accompanied waking for one of my memories.

"It's weird, when I'm in the memories I find it hard to concentrate; there's people in the visions who have been in others before that but I can't seem to remember exactly who they were until I wake up; by then it's all cloudy though." I didn't mention that the two people who showed up the most seemed to be very attached to Sasuke; the Blonde man and the Pink haired woman, their names always seemed to vanish after I've woken up.

"Except you, your always there; Sasuke what were we?" I asked, I could remember hating him, loving him and then hating him again; but I didn't know what we finished as.

Am I suddenly going to remember him as a friend, a comrade who I fled with; a man who I loved but refused to admit as much even though he died for me.

Or is there still a gap in my memory, an important one; I knew he had come back from his apparent death, how did I react to that. Had he come back and we fled together as lovers, or maybe I was just deluding myself.

"I've already told you Hinata, I can't tell you how you felt about me; but you were my everything." I wasn't sure how to react to that; the ire in his eyes, he wasn't exaggerating how he felt…so then, why did he push me away.

"T-then…w-why, why did you p-push me away?" I asked, my courage was faltering and that had awoken my old stammer.

"I told you why, the way I am now; it would kill you if we got close." He answered, voice blank and listless.

"You said it would kill me if w-we, eh you know; but you won't even let me touch your skin Sasuke." I returned, a slight blush shading my face; it didn't add up, and I wanted an honest answer.

"Are you so cruel Hinata?" he asked, his voice a deadly dark dawdle that made me skin crawl and sparks race up my spine.

"W-what?" I asked, feeling my face glow brighter; it shouldn't be legal for him to be able to be so seductive simply by lowering his speaking voice.

"You would ask me to get so close to paradise but hold back at the final step, you overestimate my self-control Hinata." He continued in his low lush tone never breaking eye contact, I didn't know how to respond to that.

We spent the rest of our time in an awkward, on my part anyway, silence sipping our drinks and avoiding eye contact; it wasn't often someone compared you to paradise and honestly meant it.

* * *

_I heard that you were back._

_Completely back._

_Somehow you had remembered, you had come back just the moment you were about to be terminated; naturally you were pardoned for fleeing the order, after all you had had no part in fleeing it in the first place._

_Naruto won't be so lucky, Lord Hiashi told me that he was going to have the Demon Fox sealed within him as punishment; I don't think that anybody's told you yet, I don't think that they will actually._

_There suspicious of you now, afraid even I think; there recalling the situation with Hanabi; they never did find out exactly how the girl had learned a Seraphim rune, I didn't know myself actually._

_She had used it to protect Sasuke from the Snake, Orochimaru; but they had sentenced her to death because knowledge of the rune was illegal, they had claimed that Hanabi must have gained knowledge of it to usurp the Konoha council; the Hyuuga clan had been but under close examination in case it was a conspiracy by the entire clan to revolt._

_Now they wondered about Sasuke's involvement in it, they had originally assumed that if Sasuke had knowledge of a Seraphim rune then he would have used it himself; suddenly with this miraculous resurrection the Uchiha prince's involvement didn't seem so clear._

_He was on my porch again._

_Just like after Hanabi had been executed, he wasn't facing me but seemed to be taking in the garden's natural wonder; I supposed that if I had just cheated death then I might also find myself more appreciative of life's little wonders._

"_You woke up then?" I asked, he didn't turn to face me and I tried my best to ignore the de-je-vu._

_I heard a grunt, something, in the affirmative._

"_You mind me asking how you managed that?" I prompted, wondering if I'd have to physically force him to face me again._

"_I found myself drifting among the clouds in a blissful happiness, then all of a sudden an angel appeared before me." He spoke, and I found myself questioning whether he had indeed come back undamaged._

"_She told me that I had yet to earn the right to die, I had made a promise to her in life and I had yet to fulfil the agreement. She commanded me to return to the land of the living and complete my task, only then would I be allowed to die and only then would I be forgiven." He finished, making a small hand gesture to symbolise…something; he finally turned to face me a small smirk on his face as he looked down at me._

_Even after all the prepping and mental fortifying it was still a shock to see him there; alive, if I reached out I could actually touch him._

"_Is that the truth?" I asked sceptically; after all this was a confirmed atheist telling me about his encounter with an angel._

"_Maybe." He answered, suddenly seeming closer to me._

"_Why are you here Uchiha?" I asked; annoyed at the man's apparent light-heartedness, for him anyway, he'd returned from the dead damn it he shouldn't be joking._

"_Well I was wondering if you still hated me?" He responded, the breath left my body quickly as a result and I saw left gasping and staring at him wide eyed._

"_I don't know." It was the honest answer, I had missed him; but I still don't know exactly how I really did feel about him, it didn't seem like a productive route to go down._

_I didn't want to suddenly realise that the man I loved had died to save me._

"_Then let me help." He offered moving slightly closer._

"_H-how?" I asked, I wasn't exactly uncomfortable with his proximity; but it was having another effect._

"_Forget everything, the if's and buts; and just tell me how this feels." He answered and before I could react his arms had snaked their way around my waist and his lips covered mine._

_I didn't hate him anymore._

_I didn't know how._

* * *

I was awoken when the bus pulled to a sudden stop at what I guessed was our final destination, I recognised the bus station as the same one that I had visited several times over the years when the need had arisen.

We were back in the city again; I had asked Sasuke about the guards patrolling the city, I would have thought that they would have a patrol set up for public transportation; Sasuke had told me that it wouldn't be important, he could use runes to stop anyone from noticing my Seals signature; it usually wouldn't be enough but the patrols would be in disarray at the moment.

Sasuke was already on his feet collecting his weapons from the overhead compartment, he had picked up a large enough duffle bag in the bus terminal and had promptly shoved his sword into it, I didn't actually know if his guns were in the bag or hidden somewhere on his person; I suspected the latter heavily though.

"I feel weird." I mentioned to my dark companion as we exited the bus onto the teeming city streets, since I had woken up there had been an unnatural heaviness in my stomach.

"I know, I feel it too." Responded Sasuke, worrying me just a little bit; I could brush off my own worries as simple nervousness, when Sasuke agreed with me the weight seemed to double.

"What is it?" I asked following awkwardly the Uchiha as he cut a swift path through the slower pedestrians weaving in between them with his usual unnatural grace.

"Today is the first day of spring, according to Konoha's calendar." He answered his tone oddly dark and rough.

"They have a different calendar?" I asked, oddly even as I asked the question I could feel a rightness in what the Uchiha had said; somewhere inside me I knew that today was the first day of spring.

"Yes, each order has their own; though there is only slight differences, the names of holidays, the length of some months, things like that." Sasuke answered cutting a sharp left, so sharp actually I had to back pedal to take the corner.

There was a tenseness in the man today, one that I hadn't seen since weeks ago when he had awakened me to this impossible world that existed just below the surface of the one that I knew; I wondered how he had interrupted Anneil's message that had him so unnerved.

Suddenly Sasuke came to a complete halt, I only just about avoided walking into him actually; if anything he now seemed even more rigid than before, but an odd smirk had crossed his lips.

"Damn bitch gave me a fucking self-fulfilling prophesy." I heard he mutter almost disbelievingly; I didn't need to ask what had caught his eye, it had caught mine too; across the street from us stood two unusual looking people, who thankfully hadn't noticed us yet.

One was a tall silver haired man, despite his grey hair though he seemed quite young; he wore black combats, black Nikes, an army camouflage parka and despite the relatively warm weather of the city he had a thick navy scarf wrapped around his neck and lower face; an eye patch covered his left eye but I could still see the start and end of a scar above and below where the eye patch covered.

'Kakashi Hatake' a voice from within my own mind whispered to me.

The other was a woman, with her pink hair she was certainly eye-catching and I supposed she was quite good looking not that I could really tell; she wore a short tight leather skirt that barely seemed to cover her backside, a pair of awkward looking stiletto heels and a pink fluffy coat over a blood red tank top; a pink umbrella hung from her right wrist.

'Sakura Haruno' the same voice cooed to me, and I remembered the pink haired woman; she had been a close friend of Sasuke's and she had almost killed him before he regained his memories and then they had…well I don't actually know for sure but I had my suspicions.

Somehow I got the feeling that I had heard that name somewhere else before, but for the moment I couldn't quite recall where.

"Quickly, before they spot us." Whispered Sasuke grabbing my upper arm and nearly yanking it off as he pulled me along with him, from the corner of my eye I saw the couple cross the street and felt the anticipation bubble in my throat; they still hadn't seemed to see us yet though.

"Hinata! There you are!" I heard a voice call loudly from behind me…Tenten; I heard Sasuke swear under his breath.

She came running towards us obviously relieved to see me after so long, unfortunately the couple had also seen us and were now making their way toward us; I saw the silver haired man make several hand gestures to someone unseen.

My legs had turned to lead and only Sasuke pulling me along kept me going, he quickly pulled us inside a near empty car dealership; expensive looking cars of various colours lined each wall; I questioned the logic of Sasuke's bringing us in here, it wasn't exactly the best place to hide after all.

I got the nagging feeling he had brought us in hear because otherwise whoever Kakashi had been gesturing to would have shot us from the roof top.

"Hinata, you're going to have to trust me here; do exactly as I say, understood?" Sasuke didn't seem outwardly worried, actually the tension from earlier had seemed to leave him if anything; once again I found myself questioning exactly what this man was.

It seemed like an old west confrontation when the couple entered, Kakashi and Sakura, we stopped and turned to face them down; I had actually hoped we were going to slip quietly out the back but it seemed they were too fast for that, we were about ten metres from the back of the shop and I could see the fire exit that may be our salvation.

It was the girl Sakura who spoke first, Sasuke and the taller Kakashi seemed to be having a stare down of some sort; Sasuke looked angry but Kakashi looked almost sad.

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke, we really do need to stop meeting like this; it's becoming a bad habit of yours." Teased the girl, suddenly the door burst open again and several windows were broken in as swat police entered the dealership; I began to sweat, there had to be at least a dozen if not more of them.

"I see you got your bitch back." Mentioned the woman gesturing vaguely towards me, I felt my blood boil and a deep hidden hatred coil and stretch as it was awoken from deep within me.

"And my goodness she's regrown that arm I hacked off." Continued the woman and I began to feel sick; the last time we'd met, in my last life, she'd cut my arm off…the scary thing was how right that sounded; I felt myself shiver and hoped no one noticed my growing distress.

"Come on Sasuke…say something, or wait are you pretending to be someone else again." The woman just did not seem to want to be quite but only I seemed to be listening to her.

"Takeda, that was what you were calling yourself wasn't it, you planning to go cuddle Naruto again too?" taunted the woman, and I felt a little piece of the puzzle shift into place; and a little piece of my being shatter into tiny fragments.

Sasuke was Takeda.

I suddenly began vomiting, the pink haired witch laughed; Sasuke's confused gaze shifted over to me for a split second.

That troubled little boy I'd read so much about had forgotten everything important to him, and he had become Sasuke; that also meant that this was Yui, this Sakura.

I suddenly felt the urge to kill that woman.

My hand guns found themselves within my trembling hands before I knew what I was doing, I had my teeth bared and my breaths were coming out ragged and heavy; my mind was flooded with thoughts of how to maim and murder this miserable wrench, how to bend and break her in horrible ways.

"Hinata, I have no idea what's gotten you so upset; but remember what I told you, do as I say it's the only way out of this." Sasuke finally spoke up his tone cold and I realised that he really didn't have any idea what I was talking about, the diaries were covered in dust so I knew they hadn't been read and he would have forgotten his past life.

He didn't know what this woman had done to him.

He didn't know that for a little while it seemed he and his best friend were…something, maybe even lovers.

He didn't know that he had a daughter out there somewhere…or had she been killed.

"You're not getting out of here Sasuke." Spoke Sakura, there was a click and suddenly she drew a long thin blade from her umbrella.

"Hinata!" I heard a voice call, quietly I prayed that for the first time the girl shouting would just forget about me and leave.

Tenten burst through the door, her big brown eyes worried as she starred at the police, me and Sasuke; she probably thought that the police were the good guys, that Sasuke was some kind of criminal that had kidnapped me and I was about to be rescued.

The silent Kakashi moved for the first time since entering the room, faster than my eyes could follow he had drawn a gun and fired the bullet hitting Tenten in the chest and knocking her from her feet; I saw a crimson pool of blood leak out around her body.

I think I might have screamed.

I tried to run to her but Sasuke's iron like grip on my waist prevented my leaving his side.

"The suspect has just killing a civilian, I need a volunteer to handle the clean-up." Spoke the stoic man as I hurled insults of 'bastard' and 'coward' at him; one of the men moved to Tenten's prone body and lifted her, he had long dark hair but I couldn't make out anything else due to his mask.

"What are you going to do Sasuke?" asked the silver haired murderer stepping forward and drawing a second gun from his jacket.

* * *

Chapter 14 is a finished, so what did you guys think?

A little footnote- if you're a big Tenten fan and hence saddened by this chapter feel free to assume the long haired man is in fact Neji and she's survived the gunshot and they go on to have some blissful interesting romance; or you can assume she's dead, it's up to you that's the beauty of an open end like that.

I hope you've all enjoyed the story so far, we're actually getting close to the end now, maybe three more chapters if I had to guess right now.

Anyway again my appologies about last week's delay I hope that this update makes up for it.

R&R


	15. Chapter 15: Dualing Demons

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Some review responses;

Echo Uchiha- If you don't like that pairing feel free to assume it was someone else, or that Tenten died tragically; it's up to you really.

Cheh- Sakura remembers that Sasuke was Takeda because she regained her memories first, hence she saw and hunted him down when he was Takeda and trying to escape the order. Sasuke forgot his life as Takeda once he regained his memories; if your rusty I mentioned it in chapter six, that most are given a false name and that when their seals activate then the memories they gained under that name are lost. Sasuke only remembers dying by Tsunade in the Order ritual and then waking up to have an insane Sakura and armed troops attacking him, he doesn't know about anything wrote in the journals; before the end I'll make a clear timetable to sort everything out neatly but for now I hope that answers you question.

Chapter Fifteen;

* * *

On shaky legs I watched the Uchiha slowly raise his left hand and form a gun shape; his fringe covered his eyes but I saw the dark dangerous smirk drift slowly onto his face; I wouldn't be able to reach him now I knew, I didn't need to see his eyes to know that they would be glazed over in blood lust.

"I'm going to shoot you down, Kakashi." Spoke Sasuke his deadly promise full of enough menace to raise the question, who exactly was the bad guy here.

Back when Sasuke fought Shikamaru and his comrades I got the feeling that there almost wasn't a bad guy in the fight; it was dispassionate a fight that neither party truly wanted, until Sasuke shot Shikamaru's partner and Kiba moved on me that is; it was simply one man doing his duty and another defending himself, later it became a man avenging his fallen comrade and another man protecting his comrade; both sides would consider themselves justified.

This fight was different, these two wanted to fight; I didn't know the reason but I could feel it, the misery and the passion of a true fight; a fight between two murderers.

The silver haired man laughed lowly and gently, I hated him more for that laugh; it was too damn human for a man who had just shot my best friend in cold blood.

"That's good, you'll need that kind of conviction to fight me." Praised the man in an oddly paternal tone; the pink haired woman paced impatiently behind him, awaiting a signal I guessed.

"You shouldn't have come after me Kakashi, I'm nothing like before." Responded Sasuke his voice strong and unwavering.

"I wonder, you've always made boasts like that, whatever the case nobody else should have come after you Sasuke; you were my student and you are my responsibility." Mused the sliver haired man taking a step forward, Sasuke mimicked the movement.

"Anything for Konoha as always eh Kakashi; the sanity of one student, the freedom of another and now you plan to kill the last; for the greater good that's what you said wasn't it old man?" Sasuke accused venom leaking from his tone like acid.

"It seemed our little team was forced to pay more than most, I still stand by my beliefs though Sasuke." Returned the older man, I saw a spark of electricity race along his right arm as the left arm raised up and he removed his eye-patch; I saw his scarlet left eye the same as Sasukes.

They both took another step forward drawing ever closer to one another.

"And I'll stand by my convictions Kakashi." Spoke Sasuke, the venom and fire still hot in his voice; his left arm sparked, his lightning coming to life too.

"Then there's no way for me to talk you out of this Sasuke?" asked the man his voice little more than a whisper now, somehow I managed to hear it though; I hated him for that pleading too, he had killed my friend he wasn't allowed to play the pacifist now.

"I won't be talked out of my transgression against Konoha Kakashi, get out of my way or you'll be caught in the storm too!" threatened the Uchiha, there was only inches away from one another now and suddenly the lightning was alive on both of their arms; roaring and contorting for a brief moment the sparks seemed to entwine and calm, then they went quiet.

"It seems that only one of us will live to see tomorrow." Commented the older Kakashi looking down on his former pupil.

I wasn't able to tell which one of them moved first, suddenly Sasuke had fired a shot aimed at Kakashi's head and the silver haired man had fired another at the Uchiha's thigh; both moved but only Sasuke managed to completely dodge, his shot had grazed the older man's cheek; they stood glaring at one another and I noticed that at some point Kakashi had drawn a silvery almost white Tanto, Sasuke had freed his Katana from his bag too.

They seemed almost a mirror image of one another; Sasuke wielding his blade in his right hand and gun in the left, Kakashi the reverse.

"Cute trick, magnetising the bullets so I can't deflect them; speed's up the shot too." Spoke Kakashi rolling his left shoulder lazily.

Sasuke didn't answer verbally; quickly he fired off three more shots at the taller man, this time I noticed the sparks of lightning dance along the barrel as he pulled the trigger; Kakashi dodged rolling to the left but was barely upright again before he had to block the Uchiha's blade, catching it with the barrel of his gun; Kakashi's Tanto made a deadly arc toward Sasuke's midsection but was deflected by the barrel of the Uchiha's gun.

There was a brief pause as they struggled for dominance until at almost the same time each managed to shift the barrels of their guns and get off a shot; they pulled apart each trying to dodge the others shot; I saw red soak into the cotton of Sasuke's top just above his left elbow, I couldn't tell if he'd been grazed or properly shot; a similar wound appeared to have been inflicted on Kakashi's right thigh.

In moments they had stepped back into action striking and exchanging melee attacks and the occasional gunshot, I noticed Sasuke was more hesitant about shooting only using his guns barrel to deflect Kakashi's attacks and it took me a moment to realise why; in this situation he probably wouldn't get a chance to reload for a while; he only had one bullets left in his current gun and six in his other still hidden weapon; Kakashi's handgun would be much easier to reload and seemed to have a larger capacity.

I noticed that they seemed to be getting faster, at such minuscule rate it was barely noticeable; but they were moving faster; then I noticed the beads of sweat lining Kakashi's brow; it must be a plan of Sasuke's so, he didn't seem to be feeling the increase; was he planning to trick Kakashi into wearing himself out without noticing, get him to make a mistake due to an unnoticed fatigue.

Or maybe there was another plan he had in mind.

Whatever it was it looked like it wouldn't work, suddenly Kakashi shifted from the dodging and striking tactics blocking Sasuke's blade and gun with his own; he seemed to overwhelm Sasuke for a brief moment, but it was long enough for him to get an attack through the opening; his knee crashed into the Uchiha's ribs and I heard a resounding crack.

Sasuke stumbled back breathing hard with at least one of his ribs broken, he struck out blindly in defence quickly swinging with his Katana a trail of blazing fire appearing with the arc of his blade; Kakashi avoided the sword strike and barely got singed by the flames that he seemingly cut away with his Tanto.

The attack had done its job though and prevented Kakashi from capitalising on the battered Uchiha.

"It seems you've become faster Sasuke, faster than me even; but it seems that I'm still stronger than you." Spoke Kakashi, in response Sasuke let out a bitter bark of laughter before coughing and spitting out a mouthful of blood onto the dirty tiled floor.

"That'd be the earth element of your Anbu seal." Replied Sasuke and I felt a flash of clarity, a gate opening up within my mind; Kakashi had an order seal linked mainly to the Metal element and in a minor capacity the Fire element, due to his mixed parentage like Sasuke but as the order seal was a lower rank it lead to an elemental imbalance; and he had gained an Uchiha clan seal from his deceased companion Obito Uchiha, it effected his left eye and enhanced his aptitude with Fire to a major level; his third seal, that he received on joining Anbu, awakened dormant Earth element abilities in his ancestry.

That was what he was famous for, two element users like Sasuke were rare but triple users like Kakashi were almost unheard of; the earth element made him stronger at a price of a slight speed decrease, though scale wise for what speed he'd lost he'd gained triple the amount in strength; I guessed that the Seal on Sasuke's katana was what had evened out the imbalance of Kakashi's third element, otherwise there shouldn't have been such a slight difference in their physical strengths.

I shook my head to try and dissipate my sudden headache, I didn't quite know where all that information had come from.

So that was it; Kakashi had the advantage in Strength, Sasuke in Speed; if one made a mistake the other would capitalise with their strong suit; if Sasuke was forced to block because of a wrong move then Kakashi would over power him and strike; if Kakashi made a mistake and Sasuke got even a half step ahead of him it would most likely be over a moment later.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sakura idly kicking her heels; I guessed that Kakashi had ordered her to stay back and leave Sasuke to him, he seemed determined to handle Sasuke himself; but with the deadlock as it is I was worried that she may be tempted to step in and interfere, my trusty nine millimetres suddenly found themselves held tightly in my sweaty grasp.

I should be able to hold her back, kill her even; suddenly I remembered that this was the woman who tortured Sasuke when he was the vulnerable Takeda, yeah I could kill her; it would be fun even.

They clashed again, Sasuke was moving faster now and I saw the change; Sasuke dodged and Kakashi blocked each of them moving at phenomenal speeds and striking ferociously; I saw Sasuke's blade clip the other man's shoulder opening a fresh new wound, a bullet grazed Sasuke's side in response.

I heard a soft giggle before Sakura dashed forward blade raised and pointed toward Sasuke's exposed back, I lifted by arms ready to take the shot and protect Sasuke but the girl suddenly shifted direction, racing toward me instead; she was damn fast too, the two bullets that were supposed to intercept her before she reached Sasuke missed horribly; desperate I quickly improvised a strategy, I'd deflect her sword strike with the barrel of my gun then shoot her with the other.

She swung in a wide arc and I moved to block with my right but just before the gun and blade connected the girl shifted her weight slightly and change the angle of her weapon, instead of cutting an arc the blade would now stab me.

'Shit!' I cursed mentally, somehow I managed to connect the barrel of my gun with the back of her blade in time and I tried vainly to push the strike away from my body; it didn't work, Sakura's grip was like an iron vice and I couldn't redirect her attack at all.

In slow motion I saw the blade move toward my face, inch by inch.

Unnatural reflex kicked in just like before in the underground tunnel with the ice freak and I shifted my balance letting my legs go limp and instead of pushing the unmovable blade from me I pushed myself from it; it missed only by a hairs breath and I felt myself hit the ground roughly and roll awkwardly from my push, both of my guns had fallen from my grasp.

Sakura was almost on top of me again before I even had time to draw my knife and try to protect myself again when I made an important discovery.

Sasuke could _still_ move faster it seemed.

He would have cleaved the pink haired girl in two with his attack if not for Kakashi's shout of warning; she managed to block the attack the recoil of the clash sending a visible tremor through her body, the power struggle didn't last long however as with the speed and ferociousness of a bolt of lightning his leg struck out colliding with the girls exposed midriff and sending her tumbling away folded over in two.

I heard a shout from Kakashi and the click of several automatic weapons being prepped, Sasuke dropped his blade and stuffed his revolver into the back of his jeans before swooping down and grabbing both of my discarded Colts.

Nine shots left in each one after I'd fired two at Sakura, sixteen riot police with their big scary guns pointed at us; Sasuke raised both arms and spun in a deadly circle, I counted the sixteen bangs I heard and hoped desperately that I'd be able to forget the disturbing sound of sixteen corpses drop limp and dead to the floor.

Sasuke finished his slaughter and pointed both weapons at the approaching Kakashi who seemed almost slow now by comparison, well almost that is; I saw electricity dance along each barrel as they fired their last shot, ever it seemed; both crumpled in small explosions as the bullets left them blowing the barrels into tiny shards and fragments; Kakashi was forced to dodge the rounds giving Sasuke enough time to regain his weapon.

Kakashi blocked the swing of Sasuke's blade and was forced to jump backward as Sasuke struck out swiftly with his left hand, the lightning singing as it covered his fist, it was a close call.

"You really shouldn't have brought them here Kakashi, don't you have any respect for life?" questioned Sasuke glaring at the silver haired man, odd words for the man who had just murdered those men.

"That's some frightening speed Sasuke, it looks like the Devil gave you a good deal for your soul nay?" asked Kakashi in return, Sasuke done little more than grunt in response.

At the same time Sasuke called my name and Kakashi called Sakura's; the girl had just picked herself off the ground and retrieved her weapon from where it fell.

"Hinata, go for the fire exit; I'll meet you back at my place later." Ordered Sasuke.

"Sakura, kill his comrade." Ordered Kakashi.

"Yes Kakashi; Sasuke that hurt so gooood! I'll be sure to return the favour." Sakura promised her voice low and sultry with promise, I suspected that she may even think that it was a favour; Sasuke had mentioned the woman was insane, seemed a bit of an understatement.

I didn't question him, now wasn't the time; I simply put my faith in the man and sprinted toward the door; I saw Sakura move to intercept me but Sasuke got in her way; I expected Kakashi to attack me instead but surprisingly he rushed to his comrade's aid instead.

Somehow Sasuke managed to keep up with both of them at once but only just barely; he seemed to be taking advantage of Kakashi's concern for Sakura counter attacking only her and forcing Kakashi to awkwardly defend her.

I reached the door and hesitated for a brief moment turning back to watch the desperate struggle unfolding, it was because of this pause that I managed to see the fights end.

Sasuke fainted a strike to Sakura stopping at the last moment though as Kakashi moved to block the deathblow; Sasuke shifted his grip on the blade and struck Kakashi's jaw with the hilt stunning him and I saw lightning blaze to life on his left arm; Sakura moved to intercept him but Sasuke forced her back with a slash of his blade as he thrust his left hand forward into Kakashi's exposed torso.

There was a sickening squelch as muscle was torn apart and the smell of scorched flesh filled the air; I heard the dying man laugh listlessly.

"Sasuke…if your impossible luck holds out, he's in cell K964." Spoke Kakashi his voice tight and pained.

"Thank you, Kakashi." I heard Sasuke speak, there was another dry laugh from Kakashi, his scarf had fallen away and I saw blood dribble from his lips.

I felt a cold anxiety wash over me.

"Sakura!" cried the silver haired man, suddenly reaching out and grabbing Sasuke in a death grip and pulling him closer; I saw Sasuke's eyes widen and heard him curse trying to break the stronger man's tight grip on him; I saw Sakura's blade flash as it arced through the air toward the two of them, she planned to cut through Kakashi to get to Sasuke.

I reached for my knife intending to throw it but I wasn't fast enough, and Sasuke couldn't break Kakashi's grip in time.

The razor sharp blade tore through Kakashi bisecting him easily before reaching Sasuke, the man I loved…the man that I couldn't live without.

* * *

I bet you guys hate me for this but I'm ending this chapter here; I've never really done cliff-hangers before so this is kinda fun, well for me anyway probably not so much for you guys.

What else, I suppose I could threaten to abandon the story here unless I get a certain amount of review's but that would be just plain evil….

So gimme loads a reviews or I end the story of this cliff-hanger ya hear ;)

I'm thinking two more chapters left in this and probably an epilogue, then I'm moving on too greener pastures; Namely my rewrite of Sasuke-Sensei.

R&R


	16. Chapter 16: Falling Angel part I

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Yeah, I couldn't really end it here could I; far too cruel but it was nice to give people a little scare.

Chapter Sixteen;

* * *

Blood.

It filled my vision there seemed to be so much of it spilling from Kakashi, and Sasuke too; pooling together on the dusty floor; my vision had tunnelled tightly and all I seemed to see was the crimson liquid life dripping away. I could smell it too, almost taste it's sickly copper texture, too much blood had been soaked into this room today and I suspected that it would never be clean again; I heard the deafening dripping of Sasuke's blood hitting the floor.

"A fair trade for your life I suppose Kakashi." Barked the Uchiha in a soulless sardonic laugh; he stood crouched about a metre from where Kakashi had fallen, neatly halved; I saw the grizzly wound etched into Sasuke's torso, it was deep and seemed to be leaking blood by the bucket load; he had dropped his katana and instead held desperately onto the stump that used the be his left hand, it had been cut just above his wrist.

Sakura crackled mercilessly taking a step toward the fallen man, her blade still dripped the mix of both his and the dead Kakashi's blood; I saw Sasuke struggle to his feet and shake his head, blood loss does that to a person, even one like Sasuke; I smelled the scent of burning flesh and saw smoke raise from Sasuke's hands…no from his hand and stump, the blood stopped dripping; the Uchiha moved his right hand to his stomach and proceeded to sear shut the gapping wound running from his right hip to his rips of the left side.

He stumbled backward a couple of steps on wobbly legs, Sakura still looming closer bit by bit in seemingly no rush; she had him now he'd lost a hell of a lot of blood and I was astounded he was even alive.

"You blocked with your arm, it slowed down the blade just enough to let you avoid a fatal wound, impressive Sasuke." Complemented Sakura with a twisted smirk, I saw that and his other less successful attempt; his magnetism had failed to block the blade, Sakura had powered through it and the only visible effect was the altered angle of the blade slightly.

Seeing Sasuke, weak and broken, I suddenly saw red again; no not again, this time I could see nothing but red; I was moving suddenly sprinting at the distracted girl, it suddenly didn't matter how much stronger than me she had been a couple of minutes ago.

I learned something then and there; it didn't matter how strong you were; it didn't matter how intelligent or wise you may be; your social status, your friends, your plans and your dreams; none of that mattered in someone gets the drop on you. If you're caught off guard then anyone can end your existence and take all of that from you and it didn't matter a damn thing who they were.

At any other time such a personal revelation may have chilled me to the bone; but right now I wanted revenge and I wanted to cause pain, and that disturbing little thought was incredibly comforting to me in the same way an alcoholic takes comfort in the burning caused by sipping their whiskey.

She saw my fist coming, too late to counter with her sword for an easy kill but early enough to block my attack; I didn't connect with the punch though, instead I grabbed her forearm at a certain point…I didn't know what was special about the point except that it was special, there was a feeling of not-nausea in the pit of my stomach and a twinge like a minor electric shock to the nerves in my finger tips where they connected with the smooth perfect ivory pale skin of Sakura's right wrist.

I let go of her arm and it fell limply to her side, her sword clattering noisily to the floor.

Her left arm swung out to strike me but I caught; by a different spot than last time, a better spot…a much better spot; there was the same twinge and spark and Sakura's second arm fell limp too, but this time she also let of a whimper of pain; I relished in it tackling her to the ground.

She fell on her back in the pool of blood; I straddled her waist a hand in the blood beside her head to keep me steady to other hand slowly reached for my knife, I felt myself smirk.

She screamed curses and murder at me, her arms couldn't move but her legs kicked about furiously; she was probably trying to get a decent footing so that she could push up her hips and throw me off, with her superior strength she would probably manage it too; but she couldn't get any leverage of the tiles, they were covered in slick wet blood…blood that she was responsible for.

I took a moment to enjoy the irony of her predicament.

My knife was in my hand now, it's weight comforting and just right; by body wasn't mine anymore, it was possessed by a vengeful deity and I didn't give a damn about moderating it.

I trailed the blade from her collar bone down to the rim of her leather skirt, carefully slicing her tank top open and just ghosting her creamy skin; she suddenly stopped trashing, I expected her to look frightened.

She didn't.

She looked excited; she knew I was going to hurt her and she wanted it, what the hell was wrong with this woman.

I pressed the knife harder cutting between her heaving breasts, she _moaned_.

I growled in anger and annoyance, this was _not_ what I wanted…but we weren't finished yet; I'd start with what she'd done to Takeda, then I'd move onto what she'd done to Sasuke…that didn't make a whole lot of sense in hindsight but I was hardly thinking clearly at the moment.

I didn't get the revenge I wanted so desperately to claim though, a booted foot stomped down on the girls neck whilst I was distracted running how I'd torture her through my mind.

A quick snap and Sakura was dead, an arm encircled my waist and I felt myself being dragged to the escape door; I struggled vainly until I realised that it was Sasuke pulling me along.

"We've got to go Hinata, now!" he spoke in a carefully controlled voice, pain didn't leak through and I couldn't see any trace of despair in his once again dark eyes.

We burst out into the bright light of the alleyway behind the car dealership; I gasped greedily, sucking in the fresh air, the air not polluted by a coppery tinge that made me want to vomit violently; I ignored the shrill sirens that wailed from the main street and followed Sasuke.

I felt his remaining hand grab mine and pull me along as we broke into a run; I wondered what his plan was, if he had one at all that is.

We stopped at the back of a somewhat run down looking apartment block, Sasuke pulling me inside the open fire exit just as several panicky men in uniform ran by one of them shouting orders to the others; I was pressed up against the grimy used to be white wall of the hallway, Sasuke's body pressed tight against mine; we weren't out of sight, if they cared to look in the right direction they'd see in through the open doors and spot us.

Sasuke wasn't holding my hand anymore, I saw the cold grey iron of Sasuke's second revolver appear in his hand; he had dropped the first one when he had lost his hand, when I was seeing red, I suddenly recalled it falling emptily to the blood soaked ground I guess Sakura's attack had disrupted it's hiding place; I still held my knife tightly in my right hand, knuckles white because I was holding onto it like it was my life line in a storm.

I didn't know if this was the gun with one shot left or a full load, other than that I think Sasuke still had his knife…that's all we had left, a knife each and a gun with possibly only one shot left; I guess there was a reason Kakashi was so famous, we had probably gotten off lighter than most who'd crossed arms with him before.

They passed by without seeing us.

"Sasuke, you left your sword back there." I thought it seemed quite important to him and all, I personally wouldn't want to leave something so valuable behind but he hadn't seemed to really care.

"It's not important." He didn't care to elaborate just marched to the nearby door marked laundry room; I got the feeling that I wasn't going to be too proud of what was going to happen next.

* * *

I tried not to look conspicuous as we walked through the streets, it was somewhat difficult.

My hair was tied up in a pair of high pig tails tied with a neon pink ribbon, and I wore a ridiculous skimpy multi-coloured dress; walking beside me was Sasuke wearing a ragged black jacket, his damaged arm shoved into a pocket to avoid drawing attention; he had also tied his hair using a black and green bandana; together we cut the image of a couple of violent punks or druggies.

The best way to blend in was to stand out Sasuke had told me.

I didn't feel too good either physically or emotionally at the moment; we had robbed these clothes from some poor innocent people and even considering the circumstances I felt a little dirty for it; on the physical side of things I still felt a little nauseas from earlier plus the dress was a little _tight_ in places, mostly the chest and my hips but a little on my stomach too; I had tried to tell Sasuke that it wasn't the right size, but he insisted that I wear it for just that reason.

I had blushed and tried to ignore the little voice in the back of my mind demanding that I diet, it sounded suspiciously like Ino; I ignored it, and ignored the painful tremor that thinking about Ino brought with it, because thinking of Ino reminded me of Tenten and that wasn't a particularly pleasant path to tread down.

We passed by a couple of cops whom each gave me a long particular look, I was certain they recognised me.

"You Dicks got a damn problem!" spat out Sasuke a defiant sneer drawing across his face, he went so far as to spit in front of the officers.

"Any other day I'd be beating your ass down punk but today I've got bigger fish to fry." Threatened one of the officers as their group moved on.

"I was sure they had recognised me." I whispered a moment later after I was certain that we were out of ear shot, Sasuke chuckled softly.

"Impossible." He grunted and I asked him why.

"They didn't even bother looking at your face Hinata." I blushed some more and kept walking quietly.

* * *

We arrived back to Sasuke's small hideout just as nightfall came, we'd stopped to grab some bad food in a fast food place and taken several other detours; we had to make sure we weren't followed Sasuke had told me.

Just like last time the first thing I did was take a shower; I finally knew the questions I wanted to ask Sasuke but first I wanted to get the dried blood off of my body, Sasuke had allowed me to clean the visible blood away but there was still some in places, matted in my hair and in other parts.

The warm water was revitalising and I had to struggle to eventually pull myself away from the therapeutic hot water; there wasn't fresh clothing awaiting me this time and I tightly wrapped my towel around my body to keep my modesty intact while I ventured out for some clean clothing, I was not wearing that dress again.

I stepped into the main room to catch Sasuke seemingly in the middle of investigating the damage to his body; his upper body was bare and for the first time I noticed the forth tattoo the Uchiha had, I didn't think it was actually a seal since he hadn't used any abilities that semed linked to it, a single pitch black angel wing stretched across his left shoulder; he didn't notice me enter the room distracted by something he held in his hand, his muscles were coiled tightly and it seemed as if some tremendous weight had fallen upon his shoulders.

I quickly grabbed some clothes from a wardrobe and made my way back to the bathroom; the noise I made distracted him through and he turned to face me; he had several small cuts but all I managed to see was the brutal new scar he wore across his once flawless abdomen from his hip right to his ribs, the combination of being hacked into with a sharp blade and searing the wound shut.

His right hand was clenched tightly and I couldn't see whatever he had been holding, he gave me his sad smile.

"Did you know Hinata, they say that you kill the ones you love." I didn't know what I was supposed to say to that so I simply retreated to the bathroom to change instead; maybe he was feeling guilty for killing Kakashi and Sakura, I certainly had no love loss for either of them but he had been quite close to them once upon a time I think.

When I stepped back out Sasuke was once again dressed as usual, the left arm of his jumper was tied in a knot where his dismembered hand had been.

"Take a seat Hinata." The Uchiha sat near the fire place a blazing fire in the opening, I could only guess how the Uchiha had made a fire so quickly; he gestured toward the free seat across from him, I noticed the amber bottle on the table next to him and the half empty glass of the same liquid too; I took my seat.

"Your Takeda aren't you?" I blurted out; he'd seen the diary when we'd gotten our new clothes, he just told me to throw it away.

"That was the name I was born with yes but no, I'm not Takeda; and that I once was isn't really important." He answered me, voice cold uncaring.

"It matters to me." I whispered.

"It won't, not in another minute give or take a little." He returned lifting his glass and taking a mouthful, my breath caught.

"What's that supposed to mean Sasuke." I asked my voice bothering on the edge of frantic now; Sasuke's face darkened drastically.

"Our bond has sped things up, you're going to remember…any second now." He spoke, as he finished I felt it; behind my eyes first an acute burning sensation that caused my sight to un-focus, then it spread down from each eye in a strange semi-circle trail of stinging sensations until both trails met in a painful crash near the base of my skull; through the pain I felt my mind expand, little pockets of information and memories return to my mind.

* * *

_I remember..._

_Being trained and raised as a Hyuuga, learning our specialised techniques; blending and controlling the air in a sort of pseudo-telekinetic technique, learning the pressure points of the human body and how to force energy into them for more effective results; I die several times throughout the training and several times again on the missions I'm assigned by the Hyuuga clan later._

_Becoming painfully aware of how inadequate I was compared to my slightly younger sister, not only was she the pride of the clan but she was also arranged to marry the famous up and coming Sasuke Uchiha; I idolise and love Naruto Uzumaki for his drive and confidence._

_In a bout of jealousy I pray for some misfortune to befall her seemingly perfect life._

_Orochimaru assaults Sasuke Uchiha, it's assumed that he hopes to use the Uchiha prince to barter with the Uchiha for one of their Seals and hence the Sharingan; he fails due to Hanabi somehow having knowledge of a Seraphim seal, the seal boosts her abilities enough to equal his strength for long enough to allow reinforcements to arrive._

_The reinforcements arrest Hanabi as a divine criminal; possessing knowledge of a Seraphim seal is considered Heresy against Konoha, it could put someone like Hanabi in the same seal class as the Hokage- God's chosen vessel on this plane, and that kind of arrogant technique was a blasphemy of the highest order._

_I learn to be careful what you wish for and I begin to blame myself for the tragedy._

_I go to my only sisters trial and then funeral- there are others but Hanabi is the only one I grew up with- I am the only one to attend the funeral, visiting the grave three days later after hearing of Sasuke Uchiha's discharge from hospital I am surprised to find a dark haired man I had only ever seen from afar wrapped in bandages kneeling by my sisters grave._

_It's raining and Uchiha's are supposed to have red eyes so I tell myself he isn't crying, this was purely a business arrangement for him and he was just angry at having lost an asset._

_I've found a scapegoat and I chose to blame him now; after all he could have saved her by letting the Snake take him, I ignore how unfair my conviction's may be._

_I find Sasuke Uchiha standing in my garden; after I vent my frustrations on him and tell him that I hate every ounce of his being; he apologises to me and tells me that Hanabi's last request to him was to protect me, no matter what I say he refuses to leave me on my own after this._

_I see him on every mission I take from now on; I suspect he also convinces my brothers to fund an operation to correct my damaged eyes; it's not only a body imperfection but it's a flaw in my seal too, hence I need the highly expensive skills of the legendary Lady Tsunade._

_Sasuke saves my life more times than I can remember over the next few years; he's there when I need someone physically and emotionally; he doesn't know what I need to hear most of the time but he's there and that counts for something, he's there for me more than anyone else has been before._

_He confesses that he was the one who had thought Hanabi the Seraphim rune that got her killed; I don't ask where he learned it himself and he doesn't say; despite this I suddenly wake up one day after several years to realise that I don't hate him anymore, there's something else between us now._

_While on look-out one night I take a chance on a whim and kiss Sasuke, at the time I think he's asleep._

_Later he confronts me about the kiss and I make the harshest most scalding comments I can think of; I don't hate him anymore but now I've finally succeeded in convincing him that I do truly hate him, the irony leaves a bad taste in my mouth for a long time._

_We barely meet over the next quarter of a century; until I work up the courage to offer my soul to Naruto- the man I truly love, I asked him to bond himself to me, for all intents and purposes it's a marriage proposal; he turns me down because he's already agreed to bind his soul to someone else, that someone happens to be Sasuke- the man I'm not supposed to love; I'm not sure how to feel about this twisted turn of events so I fall back on anger._

_We don't meet again for another long time, but not long enough for me to forget him; I die within that time again but I regain my memories and the wounds are all refreshed; I hear both Sasuke and Naruto die too within this time, more than once actually as they seem to be taking the most dangerous orders availible._

_We meet again when it's time for the our graduation sacrifice, Lady Tsunade nearly choses me; Sasuke steps in and saves my life and my soul, I weep and fall apart as his noble sacrifice cuts all my souls wounds even deeper._

_I do nothing over the next few years, Naruto and Sakura both die in missions due seemingly to their grief._

_I'm shocked when I discover that a boy with seals matching Sasuke's is found; against the direct orders of Lord Hiashi I go and spy on the boy._

_He's practicing karate with a young blonde boy in his back garden, a young girl watches them; his hair is dark brown not black and his eyes are too light a shade of grey, that will change though when his seals activate and his true soul begins to emerge; somehow I know it's him and he's truly come back._

_My conviction's grow when his seals are awakened; there hasn't been any damage to them and suddenly I can't go anywhere without hearing a new rumour about Sasuke and apparent feats he's capable of; every now and then someone recognises me and I'm asked the same ridiculous questions._

'_Is it true he never sleeps.' He's an insomniac but no he does sleep, not regularly but still._

'_I hear he can fly.' I laughed at this one._

'_I heard he knows more runes than the Hokage.' I don't think so, he's good with them alright but he wasn't even the most talented with them in our year of Jonin let alone surpassing the Hokage._

'_I hear he controls the Five elements.' Just two actually._

'_I was told he's strong enough to bend steel.' Nope; not particularly strong at all really, very fast actually but even still there are faster people around._

_I suddenly found out that the real Sasuke who I used to think of as quite impressive was actually quite pathetic compared to this one I'd been hearing so much about lately._

_I stop paying attention to the rumours and begin to think about what I plan to tell Sasuke when he completely comes back._

_One day I hear a rumour that makes me stop and listen; apparently Sasuke has stopped forgetting and has yet to remember anything, it makes me feel sick throughout my entire being and I don't know what I'm supposed to do now._

_I feel absolutely crushed._

_I hear that Sasuke has apparently knocked up Sakura, I try to ignore the spike of jealousy I feel and content myself in laughing at the irony that despite this likely being Sakura's dream she wouldn't actually remember any of it._

_I hear about Sakura regaining her memories during the birth of her child, I discover that the hormone imbalance causes a severe case of dementia; I'm told what's supposed to be an amusing story about what the insane Sakura has done to the _legendary_ Uchiha prince; I don't care because it isn't really Sasuke after all._

_Sometime later I discover that Naruto has taken Sasuke and the Uchiha's daughter and together they have fled the Order, I hear a rumour that the two men are lovers but I ignore it; I'll belive that when I see them flying around controlling the five elements and bending steel._

_I find and confront them, I try to tell Naruto not to throw his life away on a lost cause; he hits me, he punches me so hard in fact that it continues to hurt for the next few until a doctor explains to me that the he had actually fractured my cheek bone with the punch._

_Later I'm told that Naruto has been captured and is going to have the Kyubi sealed within his body as punishment for his crimes; I'm told Sasuke's memories have awoken._

_He's come back, or awoken from his dream as he claims; and after some drama I finally tell him how I feel, I tell him that I realise that I love him._

_He tells me that he's found clarity and asks me to flee the Order with him; he tells me that he's discovered how to truly bond two souls together and that he wants to be bound to me but, he tells me, the Order would kill us for it; the reason nobody can truly be bound to one another anymore isn't because the technique was lost, it's because the council hordes the knowledge for themselves._

_We run away together, truly bound to one another, wearing silver wedding bands to symbolise our commitment; I realise what he'd been wearing that night right before he'd unlocked my seals, the flash of silver I'd barely seen._

_We've hunted down relentlessly by the Order; our first action upon fleeing was to find a safe place for Sasuke's daughter, we give her to a kind young Doctor and his wife; the Masons are incapable of having children of their own and happily accept._

_Sasuke fares better than I do; he loses some blood along the way but only when he steps in to protect me, with the boasting effects of our bond he can handle the assassins; I manage to handle most but some are just too much._

_Sakura Haruno proves to be too much for me, she takes my right arm as her trophy and we barely manage to escape with our lives intact._

_Another assassin who's name I never discover gauges out my left eye; he doesn't get to finish the job as Sasuke finishes off his partner and turns his attention to the eye thief now instead; it's slow and painful what Sasuke does to him but he doesn't kill him._

_This is where he began his habit of leaving assassins crippled and worthless instead of dead._

_We run for a little while longer and I develop a fever, there was something on the blade that took my eye and it had turned me violently ill._

_We're attacked by assassins again; more than before this time, too many even if I were healthy, too many even if Sasuke used the Seraphim Rune on both of us; we take shelter in a small rundown building, I'm coughing up blood, I don't have the strength to stand let alone fight so I'm lying on a ruined dirty couch, I know that there's no way out of this; this was going to be the end for us._

_Sasuke takes my only remaining hand and sits on the edge of the couch next to me; this wasn't how I imagined dying, cold and broken on a filthy couch in a decrepit rundown building._

_I was suddenly terrified of dying, a ghostly hand wrapping itself around my heart and squeezing tight._

_Through blurred vision I see Sasuke smile a heart breaking resigned smile and it only helps fuel my fear._

_It doesn't console those fears when he tells me he loves me._

_It doesn't help when he places his lips on mine in a chaste yet somehow emotional kiss._

_Before the assassins realise exactly which building we're hiding out in and before even one of them steps foot inside the building I die; my last breath faded away._

* * *

All this I remember in an instant; this is the life with Sasuke that I had forgotten.

My eye's filling with tears I glance up at the Uchiha, he's wearing that sad smile of his again and I notice the silver wedding band on the ring finger of his right hand, it's the best he can do I suppose.

I choke out a sob.

"You shouldn't be wearing that Uchiha." I manage to say holding back that tears; all the sudden memories, two lives suddenly blended into one.

"I know." He quietly agrees; he pick up his glass to take another drink, it doesn't reach his lips; I'm out of my chair and I've slapped the glass from his hand; it smashes against the ground a few feet away, he doesn't look surprised.

I breath a ragged and angry breath and grind my teeth.

"Don't say something fucking hollow like that Sasuke…You killed me!"

* * *

That is chapter 16, that is all: chapter 17 will be up as soon as possible.

All comments are highly appreciated.

R&R


	17. Chapter 17: Falling Angel part II

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Be warned- proof reading this chapter I realised there is quite a few deaths within.

Chapter Seventeen;

* * *

He didn't say anything, he just sat there expressionless; no guilt in his facade.

"You killed me Sasuke." The tears were falling freely now, racing down my cheeks; I didn't try to stop them, I didn't care right now in the slightest.

"And what about this?" I questioned grabbing a hold of Sasuke's severed left limb, the one that marked him as the snake that he was.

"You made a deal with Orochimaru for it didn't you, I can taste the corruption from the damn thing." I spat squeezing his wrist; I saw the pain flash in his eyes; but he didn't pull away, no matter how hard I squeezed he didn't try to stop me.

"Yes, he gave me this seal." I growled angrily in return to his words; there was no apology in his voice, not an ounce of regret; I wanted to hit him, hard.

"Well," my voice came out rough, raspy and shaky; "isn't that nice, I had no idea you were so close to that Snake." I let out a sharp bark of a laugh.

"Maybe you should have Fucking told that to Hanabi before she died saving you from him you son of a bitch." I roared stepping back from him, I let out a small gasp and whimper while I tried to choke back the still running tears.

I had been right the first time; Hanabi's death was Sasuke's damn fault after all.

He still didn't looked fazed.

"And who gave you that one on your back?" I asked angrily; I could sense it now, we were bonded and he couldn't hide his seal's strength from me; I could feel power radiating from it, monstrous potential.

"I'm sorry." He simply whispered, so low in fact that I barely caught it; he broke eye contact staring at the fire now instead of at me.

"You were a liability, so I got rid of you; Orochimaru offered me power, that's all that's important." His hollow voice rung out in the large room accompanied only by the constant hissing of the flames from their resting place.

That caught me off guard.

"You're lying." I rushed out; I'm angry now but this isn't the way it's supposed to go, not at all; he's supposed to tell me how he killed me to save me from suffering a worse fate at the hands of the Order; he's supposed to tell me how he miraculously survived the Orders assault and was forced to make a deal with the devil to survive and make his way back to me; he was supposed to tell me that he loved me.

He had to be lying.

"I was hoping that I could get some use out of you this time around; but it doesn't look like that's going to happen, I had forgotten how pathetic you were." He spoke raising himself from his chair, stepping up in front of the roaring fire and turning away from me.

This wasn't right.

"What happened to you?" I asked emptily; what happened to the man I had loved; the one who let me vent on him and protected me and watched over me; the one who used to hold me in his arms while I slept even if he couldn't himself.

"The man whom you thought you knew was the lie." I didn't know how in God's name things had switched so completely; I was supposed to be getting angry at him and throwing the accusations, I was not supposed to be the one defending him while he tore apart the image of him that I held so dear.

"Sasuke…look at me." I begged reaching out a hand to him.

"Leave me." His voice was ice cold and I heard the threat plain and simple in his tone.

I hesitated for a moment, heard myself make some small soft whimpering noise, and then I left.

* * *

I had been in uncomfortable situations before after my awakening but never anything like this before.

I still had my memories from this life but they were dulled now; I was still upset about Tenten's death, but not as strongly as before; the Mason's had a granddaughter now, or should I say that Sasuke had a granddaughter now.

Sasuke…I didn't even want to begin thinking about what you've done since I last met you; you've betrayed my sister's sacrifice by making some deal with Orochimaru; that forth seal leaks Chaotic energy to an unbelievable degree, he can probably hide it from most but not me; and there was something back at Anneil's cabin, he made me close my eyes so I wouldn't see it.

Somehow I found myself at my favourite café, where I used to come so often with my friends; they were still my friend's weren't they.

I picked up a cup of coffee from the counter and took a seat near the window, our usual seat actually; I mixed in as much milk as I could when I remembered that Sasuke took his coffee black; I watched the people pass by on the street outside vacantly not really seeing them at all; as I watched every now and then I'd get a flash of something, I may have had a dress like that years ago, that guy in black and white reminded me of an _old_ friend- worse were the almost memories, flashes of forgotten connections that I only could vaguely tell had been important to me at some point.

It was a lot to take in and try to cope with.

I didn't notice her come in and only realised that she was here when she took the seat directly across from me; already I was back into the habit of only tracking people by their seal signatures, having no seals what so ever I didn't notice her until she was right in my face; that may be an overall flaw in my system.

"Hinata?" she asked shakily prompting me to look up and see what I once would have considered my long-time friend Ino; her blonde hair was limp and lifeless pulled back into a messy ponytail, her blue eyes seemed tired- exhausted even; I wondered if she knew about Tenten.

"Ino." I wasn't shocked, I didn't have the heart to be shocked anymore really.

I would have expected the girl to immediately pull me into her arms, it would certainly be the normal reaction for the girl; instead she simply continued to stare wide eyed at me, one shaky hand reaching out slowly to touch my cheek; I looked different I realised, since I had returned to my true self my eyes would have paled to their old near-white tone and my hair would have gained a lavender tinge to it.

"You are Hinata, right?" she asked and I gave her a small nod in return; I wasn't so sure myself though.

That seemed to break the floodgates; the normally cheerful blonde burst into tears, she told me about everything that had happened to her since I had left with Sasuke; the police interviews, threatening letters from an unknown source and finally having to identify Tenten's body at the morgue.

We talked for a long time as I gave her an edited version of what exactly I had been up to with Sasuke; it was best not to involve her in the world of the Order, Tenten had only glanced at it and she had been murdered for it.

In hindsight though I probably shouldn't have let myself get so enthralled in our conversation; I actually didn't notice them until they were right behind me, at the sound of one of them coughing into his fist I turned to stare at the white polyester covered forms.

Over there standard white suits the men wore long white dusters, they were unsurprisingly pristinely clean and I couldn't see their hands due to the coats overly long sleeves; they probably already had their guns in hand.

"Would you mind stepping out back with us miss Hyuuga." The one on the left spoke hollowly, they wore sunglasses and had the same painfully perfect centre part hairstyle that I couldn't tell them apart in any other way than left goon and right goon. I heard Ino behind me echo 'Hyuuga' confused.

"I've got to go now Ino, I'll talk to you later." I lied rising from my seat, the girl's confused wide blue eyes followed me carefully.

"The girl is coming too." Grunted the man on the right, apparently they took turns speaking; I growled lowly in my throat and fixed the men with a dark look.

"She's not involved in this." I whispered low and dangerously, I knew they'd heard me by the near simultaneous crinkling of their brows.

"She is now, you've involved her." Spoke lefty, a dark look crossing his face as the man on the right smiled suddenly.

"We'd prefer to do this quietly miss Hyuuga, but we don't have to; you know that." Commented the right man his smile remaining bright and eerie on his chapped lips.

I felt a chill wind blow in through the open door and heard the first sounds of rain clashing weakly against the windows.

I let them push me outside, Ino resisted but one of them simply grabbed her and began to haul her out; one of the men at the counter rose to intervene on our behalf but a quick flash of something from one of the men had him sit right back down; maybe a badge but more likely a gun.

We stepped out of the fire exit into the light drizzle and for a moment I closed my eyes and lost myself in a memory; a thunderstorm with Sasuke decades ago, we danced in the rain and I enjoyed seeing the almost giddy trill in his eyes when the lightning flashed through the dark clouds.

"Where is Sasuke Uchiha?" asked one of the men and I was suddenly jolted back to reality; I barely had half spoken the words 'I don't know' when I heard a gunshot and Ino collapsed into one of the growing puddles in the alleyway.

For a moment I was terrified that I had just lost another of my friends but then she began wailing and I realised they had only wounded her; the bloody wound on her leg spewed blood and I faintly noted that without a proper tourniquet she wouldn't be alive for much longer.

"Where is Sasuke Uchiha?" If I knew that then I would have told them- as he was now he would have torn them to shreds; I didn't have much options here, they had clean shots on me and I could only take maybe one of them before they got off a shot; at such a close range I wouldn't be able to stop the bullet with the air either; another five to ten metres maybe but not this close.

It was the down side of the wind nature, while I could affect any kind of object my abilities weren't as effective on metals as Sasuke's metal nature; I suppose I could try running, if I get some distance I should be able to handle the bullets.

That would mean abandoning Ino though.

"Where is Sasuke Uchiha, this is your last chance!" threatened the man on the left aiming his gun down at Ino the other man kept his levelled at me, this was it.

"You wouldn't enjoy a meeting with that man I can promise you dears." I somehow wasn't at all shocked to see her standing there, perfect blonde hair blowing askew with the wind and icy blue eyes observing the scene rather emptily; she wove a mid-length vaguely gothic dress and she carried a similarly dark umbrella to defend herself from the elements.

The fools had the nerve to raise their weapons at her; I didn't waste the opening and the moment Mr Left's back faced me I was moving, my right arm caught his right elbow as he tried to spin back to race me and I used my left arm to harshly strike his kidneys pouring energy into the strike and blasting his organs with concentrated wind energy.

Mr Right had now shifted his weight to target me and I tried to wrench the gun from Mr Left's now limp grip but it proved unnecessary, Mr Right's eyes widened in shock as the tip of the knife burst from his back; Anneil simply smiled and twisted her knife.

Both Mr Right and Mr Left as I had dubbed them fell to the soaking pavement dead.

"Amateurs." Muttered Anneil shaking her head wearily, I went about gaining my spoils of battle as the blonde so kindly began tending to Ino's leg.

"Leave that one's gun, it's in dreadful condition; he has a nice knife hidden by his left hip though." Interrupted Anneil tightening Ino's tourniquet causing the girl to whimper weakly; so that was one nine millimetre, a knife and a spare clip of ammo…not exactly my choice equipment for fleeing Konoha but I supposed it was better than nothing.

"So what brings you here." I asked the platinum haired woman as I moved closer to my fallen friend, she had lost consciousness but her pulse remained strong.

"In due time dear, for now we had best be off." Responded the woman turning from me and starting down the alleyway.

"I'm not leaving her like this Anneil." I announced when the blonde turned giving me a curious look; apparently the prophet was simply expecting me to follow her blindly, I did however know her to well to do something so foolish; I could potentially wind up locked in a cage brought out only when the woman wanted conversation.

"An ambulance will be here in twenty seven seconds Hinata; it's for the best that you appear to have abandoned that girl." She was right of course, if it looked like I had left Ino for dead to save myself no one would pursue her to get to me; and on a purely emotional level it may be better for Ino if I go like this; she won't be tempted to try to contact me and if I suddenly turn up dead, well it should spare her some grief if she hates me.

"Fine, let's go." I reluctantly agreed jogging to catch up with the woman as she lead me further down through the alleyways.

I didn't want to tell her that I was happy to see her, she wasn't after all the type of person that you should tell that kind of thing to. I followed her until we came upon a fairly unassuming red Toyota, Anneil was quick to fish around behind one of the tyres and pull out a pair of keys.

"I forgot how impressive those abilities of yours can be." I complemented the woman sliding into the passenger seat after she had unlocked the car; her foresight really could be a highly frightening thing.

"You've barely seen anything little Hinata." Answered Anneil a superior smirk on her scarlet painted lips.

"While I am thankful for your help back there Anneil; I have to ask, what are you doing here?" I asked, and my worries were not entirely unfounded; Anneil was an obstinate believer in the greater good and she was not the type to actively intervene with faith like she just had.

"Always the curious one Hinata, if you must know I have a gift for you." Replied Anneil starting the ignition of the car and pulling out into the traffic; I couldn't help feel bad for whomever's car we had just stolen.

"You've seen the Uchiha for his true nature?" It wasn't quite just a question, there was a playful teasing quality in her voice that made a spike of indignation flare to life within me.

"Yes I have." I responded curtly, I wasn't interested in talking about Sasuke right now…I just couldn't, if I let myself recall even a sliver of what I felt about that man then I doubt that I would be able to come back to myself; I would just become lost, buried in the grief of being cast aside by the man I loved once I had served his purposes.

I couldn't fight anymore and I was going to slow him down, so he pierced my heart with his lightning; _that_ was why I was restless and couldn't sleep during lightning storms.

"Is that so, then I suppose what I want to show you now don't come as any surprise at all." Spoke Anneil and I felt that indignation flare ever brighter, I may have gotten along with the woman most of the time but Sasuke was a touchy subject and one she of all people had no right to bring up.

I was going to argue back my point but a quick connection of our eyes, my now pale white pair and her unnatural icy blue orbs, and my mind began to swim; colours began to blur and drip into one another and I felt the prickle like static electricity race across my skin.

Somehow I had hoped that I was finished with situations like this, at least for a while anyway; too bad.

* * *

_I didn't recognise the room I now sat in, well that is I didn't recognise it until I caught sight of the other two people occupying the room._

_A battered and broken girl lying on the filthy couch in the corner; her right arm missing and the left side of her face is covered in bandages and gauze where I know she's missing her eye; her skin is too pale and visibly slick with sweat, the smell of sweat, blood and dirt combine in a disgusting mix around the girl._

_A dark man hovers above her, he holds her remaining hand in a death grip and I see the sorrow in his eyes as he gazes down upon her; then he tells her that he loves her, gently places a chaste kiss on her dry and chapped lips and while his lips still cover hers I see a flash of lightning and the girls remaining eye widen in shock._

_I've just witnessed Sasuke murder me from a second perspective; I awaited what was going to follow, how did Sasuke escape now that he'd lost my extra weight; the liability as he had put it._

_He doesn't move for what I consider an unnaturally long period of time considering that he was supposed to be escaping from our pursers now that I was dead; when he finally does move it's not in the way I had expected._

_He tries to stand up but his legs go limp and he staggers backwards falling roughly on his backside; he doesn't try to get back up again, just sits there staring at my limp lifeless form and his blood soaked left hand; I'm shocked to see him curl his chin in towards his chest and I hear a distinctive sob break the silence._

_I call out his name, my voice shaky and uncertain with this new development; this wasn't the ruthless way Sasuke was supposed to have acted, I didn't know how to deal with it as another broken sob tore itself from Sasuke's fallen form._

"_Now, now boy; you're not finished yet." I heard a voice call from the shadows as the most bizarre man I had ever seen stepped out from the darkness; Sasuke immediately became silent at the man's entrance and I saw him move back toward my body, his left hand traced symbols in my own blood upon my skin and I watched in morbid fascination._

_The man who had suddenly appeared stood at about the same height that Sasuke did; he wore a tattered very badly maintained brown tweed suit covered by a large black jacket; an old fashioned bowler hat covered his messy dark hair and his bright scarlet eyes took in Sasuke's work with an odd glint of pride._

"_Why are you here Madara?" growled Sasuke and I realised that he had been covering by body in intricate Runes that I could barely begin to guess the potential of, what was he doing to me?_

"_Nice scripting boy, those should work perfectly." Responded the man ignoring Sasuke's question; what were those Runes going to- no, what had those Runes done to me._

"_You didn't answer me old man?" Sasuke had turned his attention completely on the other man now, he wore a dark glare on his handsome face._

_I heard movement in the lower floors of the building, the assassins had found the correct building._

"_Rude brat." He moved faster than I could follow his right hand lashing out and striking the Uchiha in the solar plexus, the apparently younger man was sent tumbling onto the couch; he lay collapsed on top of my dead body clutching his chest desperately._

"_Do you plan to die here like some cornered dog, a noble battle against the odds perhaps." Spat the man as Sasuke struggled from the couch, rolling off and falling to his knees heavily._

"_What if I do?" returned the younger Uchiha venom leaking from his words._

"_Those Runes are a cute parlour trick but they won't hide the Hyuuga forever." Answered Madara staring down his nose at Sasuke as he struggled to his feet; so the runes were meant to hide me, I had heard rumours of techniques like that and it would certainly explain why the order had failed to find me in this life._

_I suddenly felt a cold dread as I began to realise that maybe I had misinterpreted Sasuke's actions._

"_What do you mean?" I heard Sasuke whisper weakly finally making it to his feet, with a grunt of pain he repeated his question louder now._

"_Your Runes will fail when you die boy!" announced the older man an ugly wicked snarl on his face._

_I saw Sasuke's features fall._

"_There's a difference between mastering a technique and reading about it in my old journal boy; if you want to protect the girl you'll have to survive." Explained Madara; surviving on your own against the Order just wasn't possible, Sasuke and I had failed together after all._

_That cold realisation tightened in my stomach…Sasuke had planned to die on his own knowing that I'd be reborn safe from the Order, now he had to survive against all odds for the same end. I wondered now; had Sasuke really betrayed all of his values since I last saw him, or had he sacrificed them for my sake._

"_That's not possible." I heard the man mutter, suddenly appearing much more like a boy than a man._

"_Oh but it is boy." Answered Madara a grin spreading across his thin lips._

"_Show me the way." requested Sasuke a resolute glint in his ebony eyes._

"_This will not be easy boy; the road in smeared in blood, and you'll have to spill yet more to survive it." Warned the elder Uchiha ominously._

_I screamed at Sasuke not to do this._

"_If it's for Hinata, I'll do anything- I don't care if it costs me my soul." Vowed Sasuke; I breathed out a soft 'No' that nobody heard; Madara's smirk widened as he spoke a painfully pleased 'Good'._

* * *

"Why…why didn't he explain it to me?" I asked as I felt myself return to the waking world; I just didn't get it, he gave everything to protect me so then why the hell did he work so hard to drive me away once I woke up.

"The young Uchiha prince has made many enemies." Answered Anneil remaining as cryptic as ever.

"Would you mind elaborating Anneil?" I bit out my patience somewhat frayed.

"The Uchiha will not live until tomorrow." That caused my stomach to knot tightly.

"Where is he?" I quickly asked desperation leaking into my tone.

"Are you going to run off to save the man that murdered you Hinata?" Anneil answered my question with one of her own a superior smirk dancing across her features, she was teasing me again.

"He saved me, you know that; and he's still trying to save me." I responded in earnest, someone was hunting him down specifically and he had cast me aside to protect me.

"And you're going to throw away his sacrifice away then." Spoke Anneil ever the devil's advocate.

"That's love isn't it, we'll both squander away our lives trying to save one another." It really was ironic; or maybe just a huge downright demented gambit, we would either wind up saving one another or we would both die trying.

"Alright dear I'll help you." Agreed the majestic woman.

"Why did you show me that vision Anneil?" I asked curious; Anneil had been trying for a long time to convince me to abandon Sasuke and join her instead, before seeing that vision that would have been exactly what I would have done.

"It's important that things go like this Hinata, but I am in no way happy about it." Answered the woman pulling the car to the side of the road suddenly; once we had stopped fully the blonde woman suddenly leaned over my seat and tugged my shirt up, I felt her soft finger tips rake over my midriff.

"W-what do you think you're doing?" I asked shocked and suddenly a little worried at the woman's icy eyes flickered up to meet mine.

"Why I'm giving you your gift of course." And there it was, a sudden vaguely familiar pain flared in my stomach as it suddenly felt as if Anneil's fingers were sinking into my stomach.

She was creating a Seal for me.

"You can use it three times in a day without any problems; the fourth time your dominant eye will begin to bleed; the fifth time your weaker eye will bleed; the sixth time your dominant eye will lose its light; and the seventh time you will go completely blind. Try again and you'll die." Explained Anneil and I felt her fingers heat as they moved deeper, the pain was beyond excruciating.

"Use what." I grunted out breathlessly.

"Premonition." Simply answered Anneil withdrawing her hand and returning to her seat.

"You'll only be able to see a couple of seconds into the future, but I'm sure someone like you can make excellent use of such an ability." That was no joke of an ability alright, if I could really see exactly what my opponent planned to do next that would be the end of any fight.

I idly traced the image of a pale swallow that now lingered just above my right hip.

"So where do I find Sasuke." I finally asked, with this I could save him.

* * *

There was a heavy thud as the tumblers of the lock shifted and fell into place; the large steel door then swung open with a dull weary creak, it wasn't a door that was opened regularly.

"Please…no." the scrawny body in the corner moaned and protested weakly shifting and recoiling as a beam of light fell across him from the now open cell door.

"Naruto." A voice called gently as a dark figure entered the filthy dingy cell, the body in the corner stopped it's weak struggles suddenly stilling unnaturally.

"S-sasuke?" asked the skinny body a blonde head now poking its way out from the rags the man wore.

"It's me Naruto." Answered the dark man striding easily across the small cell in a couple of steps, he knelt next to the weary blonde.

"It's a trick!" protested the blonde his voice suddenly fierce as he once again ducked his head in under the rags.

"I'm no trick Naruto." Argued the man gently.

"You are! Sasuke's dead and _she_ killed Takeda." Naruto's voice shook despite his conviction as he tried to pull away from what he believed was an imposter.

"I came back Naruto, just like I promised I would remember?" prompted Sasuke gently taking a hold of the other man with his one good arm and pulling his struggling form against his chest.

After a moment Naruto calmed.

"You feel different Sasuke." Stated the blonde flatly.

"So do you." Responded the Uchiha.

"Did they hurt you too?" asked the weary man his tired blue eyes glancing up into the Uchiha's dark pair.

"They tried, can you walk?" asked the Uchiha examining the blondes worn body.

"No; I used to walk around at first, but they cut my food when I did…then they started the beatings." Replied Naruto giving his own body a look of disgust as he spoke, as if he somehow blamed it.

"Hold on to me then." Ordered Sasuke hefting his companion to his feet, slowly they began their slow exit from the cell.

There was a sudden banging from downstairs.

"Sasuke, who's that?" asked Naruto his eyes glazed over in pain as he attempted to force his degenerated legs to carry as much of his own weight as was possible.

"I don't know? I doesn't sound like the guards." responded the Uchiha suddenly picking up the pace as the noise reached the stairs, he swore a violent curse and searched desperately for an alternative exit.

As they approached the end of the corridor a sudden sharp laugh broke the air from the other end of the hallway.

"Leaving so soon my precious Sasuke?" there was an immediate response to the call as Sasuke dropped his blonde companion turned and drew a gun, he levelled the barrel of the large revolver at the head of a young child.

The child was maybe seven or eight years of age; it wore it's long dark hair in a loose ponytail but it had such a mix of features that it was impossible to tell exactly what gender the child was; a pair of golden eyes stared down the barrel as if it were something of infinite amusement.

"Are you going to shoot a child Sasuke?" the golden eyed child asked with a giggle; the Uchiha did little more than grunt his glare darkening drastically.

"Naruto if you can move at all; leave here now, crawl if you have to." Spoke Sasuke his eyes never flickering from the child before him.

"I can't move Sasuke…" answered Naruto downtrodden, he closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

"I understand." There was a flash of light as electricity extended from the Uchiha's left arm piercing the left side of the Naruto's chest, the blonde spluttered for a moment before stilling and dying a gentle smile of his face.

"It's a shame that you can't escape that way yourself." Muttered the child yawning lazily; there was a bang as the revolver fired, the bullet burying itself in the child's forehead and sending it crumbling to the floor.

"Cut the shit Orochimaru; whatever you may look like on the outside, I can still see the snake within." Announced the Uchiha ripping the lightning blade from his fallen friend causing blood to spray gruesomely across the room.

The child sat up a sinister grin spread across his face.

"You may be happy to know that I've come to a decision on how to balance our little deal you reneged on so many years ago Sasuke, and of course for your murdering me and almost all of my familiars." Explained Orochimaru taking a step forward, the Uchiha retreated back a step.

"A shame I didn't get all of them." Muttered Sasuke.

"Yes, I imagine you were disappointed to discover Kabuto missing; if only you had killed him nobody would have been able to awaken me." Gloated the snake child continuing to stalk forward.

"You talk like it's already over." Interrupted Sasuke a small amount of defiant light entering his gaze.

"Oh but it is, and I'll take the secrets of the Uchiha I want from your corpse."

* * *

I arrived to the K prison facility to find it quieter than I would have liked it to be; if it was still abuzz with life and activity I may have beaten Sasuke here, quiet as it was I knew the Uchiha had definitely already arrived and likely his pursers had too.

As it was I could only sense two Seal presences from within the building; the guards may have been hiding there Seal's signatures, but this close I should have been able to at least sense the prisoners- unless they were dead.

I felt two more Seal signature's from the nearest entrance to the facility; normally I would have tried to avoid that fight but in this case I didn't have time to waste, besides it may be my best chance to try out my new ability.

Both men had odd silver coloured hair; the first had longer hair kept in a messy ponytail and wore a pair of round glasses, I couldn't see any obvious weapons on him but I supposed that didn't mean a whole lot really; the second had near shoulder length hair and was a much more obvious threat, the large blade he carried was almost his equal in size but he rested the dull edge easily against his shoulder.

The longer haired one greeted my appearance with a dark glare but the other gave a sardonic laugh of perverse pleasure and sent me a wicked grin.

I'd be a lot more confident in this situation if I actually knew how to use my Premonition abilities.

The more dangerous looking one moved first racing toward me, due to the large size of his blade I could easily see that he was going for a horizontal slash from my right to my left; I rested lightly on the balls of my feet a loose plan already in the making; he couldn't change the path of his blade quickly so I would move in close to his body on the right side and attack his pressure points, at that range he wouldn't be able to use his blade correctly.

Suddenly a sick feeling filled my stomach_; I saw my attacker shift from his slashing strike to instead strike my jaw with the pommel of his blade, the force of the blow almost broke my neck as it reverberated through my body; struck off balance and disorientated by the pain in my jaw I numbly feel the blade enter my back and severe my spinal cord, the second man had flanked me while the other had fainted his attack._

And then the sickness passed and I watched the shorter man once again readying his horizontal slash, there was no knife buried in my back and my jaw didn't ache…yet anyway.

I suddenly decided that I didn't quite like this Premonition ability.

With a grace that shocked my opponents I moved, it didn't matter now that they were faster than me- I knew exactly where they were going to move; I moved to my right towards his blade timing it just as he pulled the strike back to use the pommel; keeping the momentum I jumped pulling myself into a roll over the man's sword.

Now behind him I had just enough time to squeeze off a round into the back of the confused man's head as he tried to turn and counter me.

The second man was on me in no time striking quickly and perilously with what turned out to be a scalpel, here and there he nicked me but not in any kind of fatal strike; try as I might I couldn't muster up the speed or timing to counter him.

Finally I stopped for a brief second allowing him enough time to aim the proper strike that he wanted and the sickness in my stomach reappeared_; I saw his scalpel arc upward in a sixty degree angle, I felt it bury itself in my stomach and then arch its way up into my heart as the man continued to push upward._

The sickness passed and I fired a shot into the man's hand once it moved downward for the arc towards my heart; the man shouted once in shock and pain before I put another bullet into his forehead, there was a satisfying thud as his body hit the floor with an audible clap.

Now I only had one free shot of Premonition left but at the same time it seemed that there was only one more obstacle between Sasuke and I; I could- no I would save him, then I'd make him explain himself, I'd forgive him and we'd run away…to the bottom of the ocean or the highest mountain top if need be, I'd find a way.

I raced through the deserted blood soaked halls of the prison facility and tried to ignore the horrors of what I saw with in; Sasuke hadn't done this, there would be burn marks and neat kills if he had; these people had been torn apart, arms and legs ripped out of there torso.

There wouldn't have been anyone of particular note in this facility, a Jonin at highest, but there were an awful lot of bodies and automatic weapons lying around the place, enough weapons in an enclosed area like this and even a group of Anbu or Kage wouldn't stand a chance; whoever had done this had walked through a hail of gunfire.

I drew closer to the two remaining energy signature's in the building and recoiled when I recognised Sasuke's, it was chaotic beyond belief and it was outputting far more energy than it should had been; in fact his seals were pouring out more than twice the energy they should have been capable of…that worried me a little, what worried me much more was the fact that the other energy dwarfed Sasuke's.

I finally reached the top of the last flight of stairs to find myself on what could only be described as the desolate ruins of the ninth floor of K facility; the walls had been torn apart and much of the floor was covered in chucks torn from the reinforced walls and even from the roof itself.

It's funny how much could change in the matter of an hour; I saw him there with his hand still missing, so much for his regeneration but he had made an effective use out of the limb extending lighting along it and out from it to form an impromptu replacement sword; his shirt had been torn open and I saw blood spill down his chest from four parallel cuts; on the right side of his chest I noticed the glowing red Rune I instinctively recognised as his Seraphim Rune.

I heard myself scream his name and cursed the stupid action as Sasuke turned toward me distracted and surprised, his opponent wasted no time driving his fist into the off guard Uchiha's rips; I heard the painful crunch of several of his ribs cracking.

It was at this point that I noticed his bizarre child opponent, and he noticed me.

"Hyuuga, how perfect!" snarled the dark haired child, his clothes were little more than rags with slash marks, gun holes and various bullet holes here and there; his skin however was completely unmarred.

The sickly feeling kicked in; _the Snake boy quickly grasped a stray metal rod and flung it toward me, the metal rod pierced my chest with a sickening squelch and I toppled over my precious blood running in rivets onto the dusty floor._

The sickness faded and I throw myself quickly to the left mostly avoiding the projectile, it torn open my jacket and I lamented the loss of an opportunity to counter and kill my would be murderer but contented myself that I still had a couple of shots left…I'd just have to bleed for them.

Sasuke pulled himself from the rubble much more beat up than before, he looked furious for a moment before a flash of pain irrupted in his eyes.

"Hinata, get the hell out of here now!" he roared falling to his knees, I saw the Rune on his chest flash and fade away; he spit out a mouthful of blood onto the debris and glared darkly at the boy.

"I'm not leaving you here Sasuke." I vowed in response as instead of run I drew closer to the monster palming my gun nervously, I needed to be closer to him to counter him effectively.

He moved too; about a metre off the sickness in my stomach flared to life much stronger than before, I felt blood trickle from my right eye down my cheek; _faster than I could react the child had gripped both of my arms at the biceps, smirked and wrenched them from their sockets._

The sickness faded but before I could move the boy had an iron grip on my arms; I reacted instinctively striking the pressure points on the insides of each of his forearms, it did little but draw an annoyed look from the child and a momentary reprieve before the pressure began again.

I did the only thing that I could think of, I shouted for help and hit another couple of pressure points hoping to delay the inevitable; I began to feel a painful ache in my joints and realised that this Monster was too fast and too strong for even foresight to help me.

Just as I heard the first pop Sasuke came barrelling into the child roughly breaking his grip on me and pulling them both rolling a couple of feet away; I staggered to my feet, my left arm hung limply from its socket; I glanced at Sasuke as he rose only to his knees, when I caught sight of the red Rune on his chest disappearing for the second time I felt a tremor of panic arise within my heart.

He had once told me that one use of the Seraphim Rune left the user weakened for days after it faded, I had no idea what negative effect would occur if you used the Rune again directly after it faded; Sasuke gasped weakly for breath as Orochimaru approached his hunched over form.

"That was risky Sasuke, I'm quite lucky that little maneuver didn't kill you and rob me of the pleasure." Commented Orochimaru from his young body following his words with a harsh 'Kukuku'.

Sasuke spat a mouthful of blood onto his cheek; Orochimaru did not appear pleased with a snarl and a swift movement he buried his elongated teeth into the Uchiha's neck and shoulder joint, a pained scream tore through the Uchiha's throat; it lasted for a precious few seconds before several gunshots rang out, the bullets cut through Orochimaru's knee cups causing him to crumble to the ground.

Somehow with a grunt of pain and effort Sasuke forced himself to his feet, he hobbled over to me grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the stairs I had entered from; while we moved Orochimaru screamed threats of bloody murder at our backs; Sasuke continued to hack up blood as we reached the stairs, as we reached the top his body suddenly went limp and tumbled and crashed down the tough marble steps.

"Sasuke, what the hell is the rush; you blew off his legs!" I screeched upset bounding down after the man and helping him to his feet.

"He's over boosted his regeneration, he'll heal in less than a minute." Sasuke forced out staggering down the hallway weakly trying to drag me along; I heard the audible clap of steps from the top of the steps we had just moved from; he wanted us to hear him coming, he knew we couldn't move quickly and he was playing with us.

Sasuke suddenly released a brief sigh of resignation and stopped moving, he turned to face the way we'd come; I could only hear the sounds of footsteps for the moment, I couldn't see him yet.

"Sasuke…" I whispered, desperation in my voice.

"Get out of here Hinata, you can still run. Go!" he bit out pushing me away feebly.

"No! Don't you dare give up on me you bastard! Your better than that." I argued feverishly wrapping my one good arm around the Uchiha's waist and pulling desperately, in his weak state I managed to haul him along quite easily.

"Better than that? Hinata, that's a lie and you know it." He spoke his voice sparked with more passion, I stopped dragging him and heard the footsteps draw ever closer.

"You know _exactly_ what kind of man I am. Am I a righteous man?" he asked his voice suddenly cracking; I knew what he was trying to do, remind me of the cruelty that he was capable of; he was trying to make me run from him.

"I'm a murderer Hinata; a kinslayer…a demon." He whispered frantically trying to push me away again.

"No Sasuke, you're fucking mine!" I was confused, as necessary as this conversation was this was not the damn time for it; the steps drew ever closer.

"Your mine, and I'm yours Sasuke, I love you and that's all that's Fucking important; you got that!" I roared at the end of my leash, I could not- would not lose him; I had lost too much already but if I still had him at least then everything would be alright; I'd be content with just him.

"Your mine…" I whispered weakly again; tears leaked freely from my left eye now and tears of blood fell from my right eye. He let out an oddly happy chuckle; closing his eyes, he offhandedly raked his right hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry Hinata, this is the end of the line for me; I can't come back this time." He spoke solemnly; the first thing that I noticed was Orochimaru appear at the end of the corridor, the second thing that I noticed was the tears of blood race down Sasuke's cheeks.

I drew a breath of apprehension; Sasuke had a forth Seal with no apparent abilities as of yet, now I suspected that the Seal was similar to the one Anneil had given me; if I got three shots of Premonition before one eye bled then what kind of ability would cause both eyes to bleed on the first shot.

Sasuke turned as Orochimaru made some comment about us realising how pointless it was to run.

"Amaterasu!" Sasuke opened his eyes and black flames spread through the air toward Orochimaru…very few people ever manage to look just as surprised as Orochimaru did at quite that moment as the black flames eat away at his body as he struggled to put them out.

Even after the dying screams of what appeared to be a young boy died away the flames continued to burn darkly; in slow motion I saw Sasuke topple backwards, I managed to catch him before he hit the floor.

Somehow for a brief moment I actually thought that he was just exhausted.

Then I realised that he wasn't breathing.

"Sasuke…" I whispered, shock coursing through me for a moment before panic and the appropriate actions kicked in, I began first aid but it had little effect.

He just lay there; paler now; I carefully wiped the blood from his face but it proved to be a futile effort, even after I had cleaned all the blood from his face it was only a momentary reprieve though as somehow a couple of new drops would suddenly appear on one cheek and a couple of drops of water appeared on the other cheek; in my grief I couldn't imagine how they appeared on his face and simply continued to try and clean his face as even more blood appeared.

Eventually I found myself just sobbing into his collar clutching him desperately to me; asking him why, shouting at him to come back to me.

I didn't know how to find him through the bond; he had done it for me, kept me safe from the Order and had hidden me in an orphanage under the care of an old friend; I didn't know how to use the bond like that; there was maybe Anneil but she couldn't exactly be trusted to help me find Sasuke.

I don't know how long I stayed their but eventually I was broken from my solitude by several heavy footfalls and a hearty chuckle; a second later I had my gun levelled at the intruder, idly I noted the black flames were still burning.

"Who the hell are you?" I growled out keeping my protective stance over my fallen lover, the man stepped from the shadows an eerie smile gracing his features; I recognised his face and the scarlet eyes but he had changed his wardrobe; in place of his brown tweed suit he wore an old fashioned army uniform covered by a dark green trench coat, most questionably I caught sight of a particular religious insignia in black on the red arm band of his upper arm.

"Now, now dear; we're practically family, you are after all crouched over my son right now." Spoke the man his voice deep but raspy as he strayed closer, seemingly not bothered by my nine millimetre.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, lowering my gun; if this was _the_ Madara Uchiha it wasn't going to do a whole lot for me.

"My dear I am here to offer you a deal, but before that I have a tale to tell you; I want to tell you the truth of my Son, the truth of Sasuke Uchiha." Answered the man carefully removing a pack of cigarettes from one of his coats inner pockets; he light the tip with a flick of his fingers.

Slowly he inhaled and released the smoke in a long steady stream.

"Are you ready to hear my tale Hinata?"

* * *

And that is the final, long chapter of this fic; only the epilogue remains so if you've got anymore lingering questions now's the time to voice them, most likely they will be answered with the epilogue anyway but just in case; Madara has appeared and he'll be telling you exactly what Sasuke got up to between losing Hinata and turning up in Doctor Masons office.

I hoped you've all enjoyed the story up until now and I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter but in my defence it's the longest chapter I've wrote to date- over 9000 words, really should have split it in two.

This chapter in particular has been a labour, but a labour of love, let me know how you enjoyed the story; the epilogue should be up next Tuesday.

R&R


	18. Chapter 18: Lost Angel

Title; Seraphim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Didn't actually see that movie but if I had to say what the basis for Madara's personality was it was most definitely the devil; charming, polite and seemingly reasonable…until you realise he's manipulated you and about to kill you.

Chapter Eighteen;

* * *

"So shall I start from the beginning; if I must then I'll start with Sasuke and your dear sister." Announced Madara as if it were not a situation that called for subtlety.

The two resounding gunshots I believed proved my point; after the first, if fact a split second after I shot him the first time I felt the undeniable urge to pull the trigger again; the first bullet tore through his head, just slightly left of the centre of his forehead due to my shaky grip; the second I put through the left side of his chest.

Madara had an expression on his face as if he'd simply found a fly in his soup.

He idly drew a handkerchief and wiped the trickle of oozing blood from his new head wound and I watched equal parts mesmerized and horrified as the wound had closed and healed even before the spent shell casings fell hollowly to the ground- Madara eyed the blood stain on the handkerchief for a moment before tucking it back into one of his coat pockets, his forehead was completely unmarred lacking so much as even a scar.

"I'll overlook your rudeness for the moment as you are grieving." Madara spoke calmly and with nothing less than the upmost politeness in his tone and yet, I couldn't ignore the silent threat that I felt from 'for the moment'.

"While I am Sasuke's genetic father, I didn't meet the boy until he was much older than I would have liked." Lamented the austere icy man taking a slow drag of his cigarette- somehow I doubted his sincerity, I recalled Sasuke explaining the history of the Uchiha to me and for the first time I questioned exactly what his reasons for doing so were.

"Shortly before his birth Sasuke's older brothers turned on me and I was banished from the clan." Explained Madara finishing his cigarette and crushing the but underneath his heel.

"Sasuke's mother was murdered shortly after his birth, I don't know the details of her death- she was an exquisite woman." Madara continued but I was finding in difficult to listen to him go on, right now his words hardly seemed important to be.

"Is there a point to this story?" I asked, if he was planning to kill me for whatever reason he might have then he could just go ahead and do it; and if he could help me find Sasuke then he shouldn't waste time with a long winded story and just tell me so.

"Your impatient aren't you?" he muttered seemingly more to himself than to me, he made a 'tut tut' noise and stepped closer to me- his looming shadow cast over me I glared up at him in defiance.

He smiled, pleased.

"At any rate Sasuke had a similar upbringing as you and many others in the order, raised by your mother's murderers to be a lifeless weapon in their services." I knew this, I had come to the very same realisation years ago myself; but it was different when Madara vocalised it, it sounded harsher somehow, as if the good times I had enjoyed in my youth had never existed due to the painful truth behind my clan.

"I'll admit that I had given up on the boy for a while, I thought him dead with his mother. However that was until I heard of Orochimaru's interest in the boy, as a bargaining chip." Explained Madara raising his hand elegantly and gesturing to the still burning corpse of the snake man, I watched Sasuke's black flames for a moment before returning my attention to Madara.

"You've seen the creature he's become- I assume you've heard the stories of what happens when one of your kind gains too many Seals?" He asked and I glared darkly at him for a moment.

"My kind? I am nothing like that vile thing!" I spat, snarling furiously.

"Quite right my dear, I apologise." Amended Madara, seemingly sincere in his regret; I accepted it reluctantly and confirmed that I did in fact know the stories.

Supposedly if you gain too many Seals for your spirit to handle then they would in fact kill you, it seemed a valid point as any Seal was painful in it's on right.

"Well the stories aren't quite as accurate as they'd lead you to believe; an overdose of Seal energy will in fact only erode your body not your spirit. The amount that Orochimaru had acquired it's likely that he wouldn't have lived past ten years of age in that body." Grunted Madara once more drawing his pack of cigarettes from one of his inner pockets, he offered me one but I refused- I tried not to cringe too much as smoke once more filled the air.

"That's why he had to depend on his familiars as he called them- they all had a bond similar to yours and Sasuke's; whenever Orochimaru, let's say, expired they would use it to track his new body down and release his memories. If someone were to kill all his familiars then Orochimaru would be vulnerable." Explained Madara pausing to take a long drag of his cigarette before he said 'expired'.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, if he was so determined to tell me about Sasuke then why veer off onto the subject of Orochimaru's weaknesses.

"It's important for later on in my tale." Answered Madara with what I though was a disturbing smirk.

"But as I was saying; it was Orochimaru's interest in a Son that I thought dead that both alerted me to his existence and filled me with concern for his safety. I risked infiltrating the Uchiha clan to visit and warn him." Spoke the ancient Uchiha, in the distance I heard a faint rumble of thunder.

"But your clan betrayed you, why would you try to help Sasuke?" I asked suspicious, I could sense a corruptness in this man's aura that didn't add up with his story.

"His old brothers may have betrayed me but Sasuke hadn't, beside that I had in a small way hoped that Sasuke's mother was also still alive. In commemoration of our first meeting I gave Sasuke a gift, I believe you've seen him use it- twice today actually." Answered Madara casually taking a seat on some waist height fallen debris.

"You taught him the Seraphim Rune!" my words came out louder than I had intended and a small voice in the back of my mind casually added that this man had played a large part in my sister's death, in conflict another voice added that without that rune knowledge both Sasuke and my sister would be dead now…well Sasuke would have died sooner.

I pushed my conflicting and upsetting thoughts to the back of my mind.

"Indeed, though I admit that I hadn't expected him to put the knowledge to use in the way he had- I was both surprised and proud." Responded Madara a smile splaying out on his features.

"You're proud that he got my sister executed?" I bit out tightening my grip on my almost empty sidearm; this monster was proud Sasuke had used the Rune to protect himself without drawing Konoha's ire.

"I was proud that the boy shared his knowledge with a loved one, in an attempt to better help them protect themselves." Madara's voice cut across the air sharp and severe as a physical blade, it effectively ended my accusations.

"The next time I saw my son was several days after your sisters execution, he attempted to kill me on sight." Continued Madara taking a last long drag of his cigarette before crushing the but between his index finger and thumb.

It was certainly hard to imagine the usually intelligent Sasuke doing something so reckless, though I had certainly noticed a streak of rashness when he was trying to protect someone namely me- I guess that rashness was worse when he attempted revenge.

"It didn't go as he had planned obviously, I offered him my assistance in seeking revenge." I didn't add anything this time but continued to watch to man carefully and stared intently.

"He refused much to my surprise, he would only tell me that he had a much more important task than petty revenge and Konoha played an important role in that." The significant look he gave me let me know that he now knew that mission- Sasuke had sworn to my sister to protect me, obviously he couldn't manage that trying to destroy the order that I belonged to.

"I left him with an old journal of mine and returned to simply watching the boys progress from the shadows, I witnessed you two draw closer as I kept watch over the boy and I saw him master the secret arts hidden within the journal." Madara told me lighting a new cigarette, at the rate he smoked I wondered just how many cigarettes he must carry with him.

"Secret arts?" I asked though I already had my suspicions.

"The true bond, runes to hide someone's soul after death, Rune lore less commonly known within the Order these days, other things too less important." Answered Madara loosely with a dismissive wave, those skills were far more impressive than he had alluded to- the bond alone had increased mine and Sasuke's strength to avoid Konoha for so long.

"I'll admit even I had thought he was lost after the Hokage's murderous actions." I got the feeling that he wasn't particularly enamoured with the Hokage from the way he spat the words.

"But he came back and finally had the sense to abandon those fools, unfortunately I wasn't able to quite find him in time." He was referring to the vision Anneil had shown me, though he could have no idea I was aware of that meeting between him and Sasuke; I didn't recall him being in much of a rush in the vision and I suspected he was at the very least distorting the truth now.

"While there was nothing that I could do for you I did take Sasuke under my wing and help him in his acts against the order. I also gave him his second gift." Explained Madara letting out a large puff of smoke.

"What about Orochimaru?" I asked confused, if Sasuke had immediately joined with Madara for protection from the order then where had Orochimaru come into things?

"I'm getting to that my dear, you see the Seal that I gave Sasuke was a costly one- as he was then it would have killed him if he used any of the powers contained within. Even now he must be in full health to use the abilities or…well you've seen the result." I felt a cold fury building at his words, his gifts had the tendency of getting their receivers killed.

"Besides that Orochimaru's continued existence had been a pain in Sasuke's heart for a long time and we had it on good authority that he'd developed a reasonably safe Seal with regenerative properties, so we devised a plan. Sasuke joined Orochimaru's budding Order and made promises to deliver the secrets of the Uchiha's seals to the snake in exchange for a A-rank regenerative Seal." Explained Madara a twisted smirk appearing on his face.

"He manipulated the Snake into helping him kill the Konoha elders who had carried on your sisters execution, more ironically he used those men's souls to create his new Seal- you know the more powerful Seals require living sacrifices yes?" that certainly shook me, I hadn't suspected Sasuke had done something like _that_ to gain his Seal.

"After he gained the Seal we poisoned and murdered Orochimaru and killed off his familiars so that he wouldn't be bought back, we missed one though and the Snake was reborn and awoken- after his near permanent defeat he became…excessive in his pursuit of Sasuke, he took any Seal he could even the near worthless ones and made a huge number of his followers familiars." Madara told me flicking away some ash from his cigarette casually.

"Why isn't he coming back?" I asked, once upon a time I would have loved to hear about Sasuke like this but Madara had yet to answer my most important question.

"He isn't coming back because of the Seal that I gave him, it bears the price is mortality." That was my cue to empty the last of my bullets into the man despite their distinct lack of effect.

"_Before_ you blame me he was entirely aware of the Seals effects and took it despite my wishes." The man interjected as I drew my knife, I paused for the moment.

"He learned of it through another of my journals he _borrowed_ and insisted of it to protect you." Finished Madara and I felt my fire cool and change from anger to self-loathing.

"So is that what you're really here for then, to kill me because this is all my fault?" I asked almost hoping that I was correct.

"Enough of the survivors guilt, as I said before I'm here to make you an offer. Three in fact." Madara dismissed my hopes harshly as he levelled an intense stare at me, it was uncomfortably similar to one I had received from Sasuke on occasion.

"The first is that I let you leave and pursue whatever goals you wish." That certainly didn't sound so bad despite the severe way the ancient Uchiha spoke.

"If you chose that option then the Order will most certainly capture you and the best fate you can hope for is death, but even that will only come after torture; most likely you'll be used for experiments or as a primal demon container, both fates considerably worse than death." Explained Madara causing me to reconsider my former conclusion.

"The second choice is that I kill you right here and now, you'll be spared the Orders fury and without Sasuke to awaken your memories you'll be able to live a regular life in blissful ignorance." Continued Madara, it was certainly a less painful choice but…it was a road I couldn't take, even if they were painful now I wanted my memories of my time with Sasuke- I couldn't lose them.

"What's the last choice?" I asked fearing what else I could choose besides torture and ignorance.

"The final choice is that I give you the same gifts that I gave Sasuke, and together we take revenge on Konoha." I could see genuine anger in Madara's eyes now.

This man was supposed to be completely and wholly evil, I was raised to believe he was the Orders worst possible enemy- but that really only made it more perfect, I certainly hated Konoha now, for what they had done to Hanabi, to Sasuke and to me; there was nobody better for me to align myself with.

The thing I had to reconsider though was the wholly evil part, all I saw now was the angry father of a tortured and murdered son, it wasn't evil at all his reaction.

No this would be a righteous fury we brought down on the Order.

"I get to kill the Hokage myself." I spoke by way of answer, I looked down on Sasuke now and for the first time I saw the effects of his death- he lost the ability to be reborn due to the Seal but not the eternal youth he had possessed, now without that effect his body had rapidly aged...I almost didn't recognise him.

"Of course my dear." I failed to see the glint in his eye, of a man who had found a suitable replacement for his lost chess piece.

I followed him from the building, onto my new path to revenge.

* * *

The woman watched the rain fall from the heavens in a heavy torrent from her balcony, her usually expressionless mask had given way to a look of deep-seated anguish; she mused to herself that the weather was suitably fitting for what she knew had taken place today.

"I wish it hadn't been this way Hinata, and I wish you had chosen better. But you have chosen correctly…for the rest of our sakes at least." Spoke Anneil as another woman joined her outside.

"Is it time mistress?" asked the woman, one of her few close followers.

"Yes, the boy will be reborn soon- Naruto Uzumaki should be born in this area that is as close as I can tell, you must find him before anyone else." Answered Anneil sternly fading back into her controlled mask.

"But I thought Konoha is blind to him due to the bond he shares with the Uchiha?" asked the other woman clearly confused.

"Konoha is blind to him in that sense but not completely so, plus there are other elements involved." Explained Anneil, Madara would have Hinata as an ace- she needed Naruto to act as hers.

Or course there was still two other Ace's in the pack but both of those were beyond her reach.

* * *

The dark haired man strode with a carefully restrained eagerness through the ward, his newly acquired white coat whipping behind him- if anyone cared to look they'd realise that this was not Doctor Ling the true owner of the jacket the man wore.

The man came to a stop by one of the cribs in the maternity ward, the easy part was over was over now- he would have to find a way outside of the Uchiha controlled hospital with this new born.

Likely they hadn't realised just who the child was yet but even without his seal signature it wouldn't take long, the man pushed some stray hair from his eyes and lamented not being able to wear his hair in his signature ponytail.

He looked down at the new-born baby and allowed his worries to dispel for a brief moment as he smiled down at the boy.

"Foolish little brother." He spoke in a light tone, he was interested to see how Sasuke would react when he awoke- the man doubted that Sasuke had completely believed Madara, but the emptiness one felt after dying for the first time since gaining one of Madara's special Seals would make anyone believe they weren't coming back.

"You probably thought everything was over, but in fact things are only beginning now."

* * *

Yeah I think the epilogue may have suddenly become a little more important for some.

Anyway I'm going to take a small break from this story for a while and then come back with the sequel in a few months.

Hope you all enjoyed the story, if you've got any questions feel free to ask, hope you enjoyed the story anyway.

R&R


	19. Chapter 19: Cherubim Preview

Title; Cherubim

Disclaimer; Nope I don't own any of the Naruto characters.

Alright folks I was hoping to respond to a review or two and since I thought it would be rather cheap just to post an Authors note and get peoples hopes up I am also posting the first chapter of the sequel as a preview.

A quick warning I suspect the sequel will be darker than its predecessor, if you're doubting that I'll warn you to brace yourself.

**Cottonstarlin-** Well first off can I just say wow, that's got to be my longest review ever and that's a good thing, I was fairly certain I was dreaming when I saw it- all that feedback was very much akin to heaven. I've taken your advice in adding the romance filter, honestly I had always thought it redundant myself to specifically search for romances when I've already put both Sasuke and Hinata as the main characters but I certainly regret that now if I've been alienating readers in any way. I'm glad that you hate the Order so much and were freaked out by the insane Sakura, that's what I was going for, as for Kakashi well I was hoping to put him in a slightly more sympathetic light though just slightly. To answer your question about Sakura she hasn't been reborn mad in all of her life times since I guess I was just a little unclear with the timeline, she hadn't died since she was born as Yui, when/if she reappears in the sequel she'll be very much sane again. And I'm actually rethinking doing Sasuke sensei first, I've been kind of bouncing between working on both stories and that's working out well so I may do both together, though obviously that means less frequent updates. How did you have respect for Madara by the way if you don't mind my asking…I had him dressed as a freakin nazi! P.S. It's actually author not authoress…not particularly important but my masculine pride demands I iron it out.

Chapter One; Preview

* * *

I hated school.

It's not that I didn't like learning, I actually really liked learning new things and I especially loved reading- anything and everything, nothing was as exciting to me as a big book to make my way through.

But that was also part of the problem.

The other kids didn't like that, they told me I was weird; they made fun of my glasses too, they were big and thick and I often had them stolen from me by one of the bigger kids on the playground.

I had asked the teachers to let me stay inside while the other kids went out to play, asked if I could just be left alone to read; they didn't like my suggestion, they told me I had to go outside and get my exercise, make friends with other kids.

I already have a friend and he's way nicer than the other kids who beat me up and take my glasses, he's super nice and never mean.

I only get to see him once a week though, the sisters who run the orphanage I live in always took us to church once a week and that's where I see him, Father Itachi.

He always listens to what I say, even when I'm complaining about something really silly; he can be a little weird though and he says odd little things every now and again that I don't understand, like he's speaking a different language or something. Plus I saw a tattoo on his arm one day, I didn't think priests were supposed to get tattoos.

He plays the church organ for me sometimes when I'm sad and it makes me feel a little better, I asked him to teach me once but my hands were too small- he had laughed and promised to teach me when I was older.

I wondered if those Sundays with Father Itachi were what having a real father was like; I didn't think so, if I got to spend every day like that then there was no way that I could be mean like the boys in school who had fathers.

Father Itachi was my only friend up until I was eight years old, after that I had none.

* * *

I sat in the too high chair my legs dangling beneath me, I eyed the broken shards of my glasses in my hands.

I sniffled and held back a sob.

I had tried to fight back today, I knew it was stupid but I had tried to anyway, it hadn't went that badly at first- I had even been winning until the bully's friends jumped in, no one jumped in to help me.

Two of them had held my arms back while the bully punched my face, I could still taste blood in my mouth and it hurt to move my jaw; they had got bored though and thrown me to the ground raining down kicks on me as I lay curled in a ball until the teachers had pulled them away.

I got in trouble too, for fighting back when the bully had taken my glasses; they told me I shouldn't have fought like that, that I should have went and got a teacher instead- when I told them that I had tried that before and the teacher had ignored me in favour of her cigarette they called me a liar and doubled my punishment.

I didn't go back to the orphanage after school, I had come to see Father Itachi instead; the sisters would be upset that I had been fighting and even more upset about the broken glasses; for at least a little while I wanted to spend some time with someone who would listen to me and not get angry.

Father Itachi greeted me with a warm smile and listened to my story, I had just about finished when he suddenly switched demeanour his expression becoming very serious; he sent me into this back room to hide, he told me not to make any noise.

He also begged me not to listen in on the conversation he was about to have with some visitors.

I wish I had listened to him.

There were several loud crashes from outside, quietly my curiosity spiked I crept over to the door and opened it a crack to spy on the situation.

* * *

It never felt comfortable I found, even after all my years of missions and assassinations I still found it highly disconcerting to murder someone in a church.

The man hadn't put up much of a fight at all, not that it really would have made much of a difference with my premonition and Madara's speed.

Madara had explained to me who this man was, Itachi Uchiha one of Sasuke's brothers and indirectly one of the men responsible for Sasuke's pain; I still recalled how Takeda had been rented out to a psychopath by these men and I knew that what we done now was nothing short of justice.

Madara had bound the pseudo priest to a chair; several Runes glowed dully on the man's pale skin, they were sketched in his own blood and would be near impossible to break.

It was time to begin our interrogation, I allowed Madara to take the lead.

"I must say Itachi, I'm a little surprised with this costume. I thought you were a devoted Buddhist after all?" commented Madara lightly striking a match and lighting up one of his cigarettes.

"A clever place to hide so." Returned the younger Uchiha calmly in an almost bored tone.

I closed the distance between us quickly, curled my fist into a ball and struck his cheek with as much force as possible- both the man and the chair he occupied were knocked over onto the floor, Madara gave a sigh before he righted both the man and the chair.

He had worn one of Sasuke's expressions for a moment there, and that wasn't allowed.

"Not clever enough though." Whispered Madara, Itachi let out a bark of laughter and I saw blood dribble from his mouth.

"Where is your brother?" asked Madara menace lining his tone as his face lost any allusion of mirth or good humour; it was a first however to hear Madara miss speak or perhaps he was asking about the current clan heads location, that seemed more likely to me.

"Torture me all you like Madara, but I will not betray him to the likes of you." Answered Itachi, I was surprised at that level of loyalty the man held; from what I can remember of the clan loyalty was never exactly their strong suit.

He turned his gaze to me and for a moment I felt a wave of anxiety wash over me; the man seemed to look right through me into my core, the same way Sasuke could.

"When you see Sasuke again, tell him not to blame anyone but Madara for what is to happen; not you and not himself either." Spoke Itachi a sad weight behind his words, it took me a moment to fully process his words.

"W-when…when I see Sasuke again!" I screeched furious at the man's audacity.

I reached over and plucked the half smoked cigarette from Madara's hand, it's tip glowing a dangerous red- I idly heard Madara tell me to keep him alive, it was about time that I gained my new seal and he could be of use in the ritual.

That seemed fitting to me.

My first urge was to simple ram the cigarette into the bastards face but I quickly rethought that plan, it would after all be better if I built the anticipation a little first, I took a drag of the cigarette and flicked the still hot ashes onto a small cut on his forearm; I saw the muscles in the limp unconsciously tense at the pain, his expression remained carefully blank however.

"He's not worth it you know, this brother your protecting. We'll get him eventually." I whispered into the Uchiha's ear taking another drag and flicking the ash this time on a shallow cut on his chest, I had to force myself not no cough as I tasted the nicotine in my mouth.

The man gave a sudden bark of bitter laughter.

"You doubt us?" I asked annoyed, but at least he resembled Sasuke less like this and that certainly made things easier; I jammed the cigarette into his chest and smelled the disturbing scent of flesh burning, he stopped laughing.

"Why do you want to kill my brother so badly miss?" asked the fake priest a sly smile still on his face.

"Are you trying to make me angrier scum?" I asked in response, this man seemed bound and determined to meet the most painful end possible.

"I always wanted to die laughing." Answered the man with a chuckle, he thought I was some kind of joke…worse still he thinks my revenge for Sasuke is nothing more than a joke too.

That was unacceptable.

"Uchiha's are proud of their eyes, are they not?" I asked and the man's smile dropped immediately, I guess he realised that the real torture was about to begin and what my first act would be.

I took what would likely be the final drag of the almost dead cigarette noting idly that there was a distinct taste of copper to it now that it had been soaked in some blood, I straddled the man's lap and caught his chin in a tight grip as he struggled the move from his inevitable fate.

"Right or left?" I called to Madara.

"Right." He returned, he'd lit up another cigarette since I'd stolen this one.

Right eye it is so.

We burned the church to the ground as we were leaving; it was actually the only time our captive tried to fight back for real, when he realised our intention, but he was to broken after what I had done to him.

It was a pitiful sight and it made me wonder why the man would put in so much effort now of all times over a building.

I was getting closer though, to having fully avenged Sasuke- if we were to meet again after today I think I'd feel more comfortable looking him in the eye, Madara told me that he would have been proud.

* * *

The room was filled with smoke, I hadn't noticed it until now; I had been busy crying and trying to remove the horrors of what I had just seen from my mind…the things that woman had done, they weren't human.

The door is cloaked in flames now and I withdraw to the furthest corner of the room, there aren't any windows in this room and somewhere in the back of my mind I realise that I'm trapped.

I'm going to die here.

My head starts to feel dizzy from the smoke and in the final moments before I lose consciousness all that I can think of is that woman, the one who hurt Itachi so much.

Her image is burned into my mind, her angelic pale skin and her unnatural milky white eye's, cold dead eyes; I can't help but feel there was something missing in those eyes something important.

I hate her I decide just before I black out.

* * *

It's a little short but this will be the first chapter of the sequel.

R&R


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